John 8:31-55

English Standard Version

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ^(A)“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will ^(B)know the truth, and the truth ^(C)will set you free.” ³³They answered him, ^(D)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(E)everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin. ³⁵^(F)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(G)the son remains forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^(H)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸^(I)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ^(J)from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹They answered him, ^(K)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(L)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰but now ^(M)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^(N)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, ^(O)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ^(P)one Father—even God.” ⁴²Jesus said to them, ^(Q)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for ^(R)I came from God and ^(S)I am here. ^(T)I came not of my own accord, but ^(U)he sent me. ⁴³^(V)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ^(W)bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴^(X)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ^(Y)He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(Z)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^(AA)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷^(AB)Whoever is of God hears the words of God. ^(AC)The reason why you do not hear them is that ^(AD)you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

⁴⁸The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ^(AE)have a demon?” ⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but ^(AF)I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰Yet ^(AG)I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹Truly, truly, ^(AH)I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(AI)see death.” ⁵²The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! ^(AJ)Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet ^(AK)you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(AL)taste death.’ ⁵³^(AM)Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴Jesus answered, ^(AN)“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. ^(AO)It is my Father who glorifies me, ^(AP)of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’^[b] ⁵⁵But ^(AQ)you have not known him. ^(AR)I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ^(AS)a liar ^(AT)like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.