Before Abraham Was, I Am

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ^(A)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but ^(B)I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ Yet ^(C)I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, ^(D)I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(E)see death.” ⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! ^(F)Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet ^(G)you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(H)taste death.’ ^53 (I)Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, ^(J)“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. ^(K)It is my Father who glorifies me, ^(L)of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’^{[a] 55} But ^(M)you have not known him. ^(N)I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ^(O)a liar ^(P)like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ^56 (Q)Your father Abraham ^(R)rejoiced ^(S)that he would see my day. ^(T)He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”^{[b] 58} Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ^(U)I am.” ⁵⁹ So ^(V)they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

¹² For ^(A)the word of God is living and ^(B)active, ^(C)sharper than any ^(D)two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and ^(E)discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.