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An Adulteress Forgiven

But Jesus went to (A)the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and (B)He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law (C)Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, (D)testing Him, (E)so that they might have evidence to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, (F)He straightened up and said to them, (G)Let him who is without sin among you be the (H)first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10 (I)Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, [a]Lord.” And Jesus said, (J)I do not condemn you, either. Go, and from now on (K)sin no more.”]

I Am the Light of the World

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, (L)I am the Light of the world; (M)he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “(N)You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your witness is not [b]true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, (O)Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is [c]true, for I know (P)where I came from and where I am going; but (Q)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (R)You judge [d]according to the flesh; (S)I am not judging anyone. 16 But even (T)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in (U)your law it has been written that the witness of (V)two men is [e]true. 18 I am He who bears witness about Myself, and (W)the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; (X)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke in (Y)the treasury, as (Z)He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because (AA)His hour had not yet come.

21 Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and (AB)you will seek Me, and (AC)will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So (AD)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, since He says, (AE)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, (AF)You are from below, I am from above. (AG)You are of this world, (AH)I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you (AI)will die in your sins. For unless you believe that [f](AJ)I am He, (AK)you will die in your sins.” 25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, [g]What have I been saying to you from the beginning? 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but (AL)He who sent Me is true; and (AM)the things which I heard from Him, these I am saying to the world.” 27 They did not know that He had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you (AN)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that [h](AO)I am He, and (AP)I do nothing from Myself, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; (AQ)He [i]has not left Me alone, for (AR)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He was speaking these things, (AS)many believed in Him.

The Son Will Make You Free

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, (AT)If you abide in My word, then you are truly My (AU)disciples; 32 and (AV)you will know the truth, and (AW)the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “(AX)We are Abraham’s seed and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (AY)everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 (AZ)And the slave does not remain in the house forever; (BA)the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son (BB)makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are (BC)Abraham’s seed; yet (BD)you are seeking to kill Me, because My word [j]has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen [k]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from (BE)your father.”

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is (BF)our father.” Jesus *said to them, (BG)If you are Abraham’s children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now (BH)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has (BI)told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of (BJ)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality; (BK)we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, (BL)you would love Me, (BM)for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have (BN)not even come of Myself, but [l](BO)He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand [m](BP)what I am saying? It is because you cannot (BQ)hear My word. 44 (BR)You are of (BS)your father the devil, and (BT)you want to do the desires of your father. (BU)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because (BV)there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks [n]a lie, he (BW)speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of [o]lies. 45 But because (BX)I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If (BY)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 (BZ)He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

48 (CA)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a (CB)Samaritan and (CC)have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not (CD)have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But (CE)I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone (CF)keeps My word he will never (CG)see death—ever.” 52 (CH)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You (CI)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone (CJ)keeps My word, he will never (CK)taste of death—ever.’ 53 Surely You (CL)are not greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, (CM)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; (CN)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and (CO)you have not known Him, (CP)but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be (CQ)a liar like you, (CR)but I do know Him and (CS)keep His word. 56 (CT)Your father Abraham (CU)rejoiced [p]to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 (CV)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, (CW)I am.” 59 Therefore they (CX)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus [q](CY)hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Footnotes

  1. John 8:11 Or Sir
  2. John 8:13 Or valid
  3. John 8:14 Or valid
  4. John 8:15 By a carnal standard
  5. John 8:17 Valid or admissible
  6. John 8:24 Cf. Ex 3:14; Is 43:10 I AM HE
  7. John 8:25 Or That which I have been saying to you from the beginning
  8. John 8:28 Lit I AM (v 24 note)
  9. John 8:29 Or did not leave
  10. John 8:37 Or makes no progress
  11. John 8:38 Or in the presence of
  12. John 8:42 Lit that One
  13. John 8:43 Or My way of speaking
  14. John 8:44 Lit the lie
  15. John 8:44 Lit it
  16. John 8:56 Lit in order that he might see
  17. John 8:59 Lit was hidden

But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak, he appeared again in the Temple Court, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. Then they said to him, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in our Torah, Moshe commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. What do you say about it?” They said this to trap him, so that they might have ground for bringing charges against him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with his finger. When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then he bent down and wrote in the dust again. On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first, until he was left alone, with the woman still there. 10 Standing up, Yeshua said to her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don’t sin any more.”

12 Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.” 13 So the P’rushim said to him, “Now you’re testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Yeshua answered them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony is indeed valid; because I know where I came from and where I’m going; but you do not know where I came from or where I’m going. 15 You judge by merely human standards. As for me, I pass judgment on no one; 16 but if I were indeed to pass judgment, my judgment would be valid; because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the One who sent me. 17 And even in your Torah it is written that the testimony of two people is valid. 18 I myself testify on my own behalf, and so does the Father who sent me.”

19 They said to him, “Where is this ‘father’ of yours?” Yeshua answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father too.” 20 He said these things when he was teaching in the Temple treasury room; yet no one arrested him, because his time had not yet come.

21 Again he told them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin — where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 The Judeans said, “Is he going to commit suicide? Is that what he means when he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 Yeshua said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 This is why I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not trust that I AM [who I say I am], you will die in your sins.”

25 At this, they said to him, “You? Who are you?” Yeshua answered, “Just what I’ve been telling you from the start. 26 There are many things I could say about you, and many judgments I could make. However, the One who sent me is true; so I say in the world only what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he was talking to them about the Father. 28 So Yeshua said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM [who I say I am], and that of myself I do nothing, but say only what the Father has taught me. 29 Also, the One who sent me is still with me; he did not leave me to myself, because I always do what pleases him.”

30 Many people who heard him say these things trusted in him. 31 So Yeshua said to the Judeans who had trusted him, “If you obey what I say, then you are really my talmidim, 32 you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered, “We are the seed of Avraham and have never been slaves to anyone; so what do you mean by saying, ‘You will be set free’?” 34 Yeshua answered them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now a slave does not remain with a family forever, but a son does remain with it forever. 36 So if the Son frees you, you will really be free! 37 I know you are the seed of Avraham. Yet you are out to kill me, because what I am saying makes no headway in you. 38 I say what my Father has shown me; you do what your father has told you!”

39 They answered him, “Our father is Avraham.” Yeshua replied, “If you are children of Avraham, then do the things Avraham did! 40 As it is, you are out to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Avraham did nothing like that! 41 You are doing the things your father does.” “We’re not illegitimate children!” they said to him. “We have only one Father — God!” 42 Yeshua replied to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me; because I came out from God; and now I have arrived here. I did not come on my own; he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I’m saying? Because you can’t bear to listen to my message. 44 You belong to your father, Satan, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. From the start he was a murderer, and he has never stood by the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is speaking in character; because he is a liar — indeed, the inventor of the lie! 45 But as for me, because I tell the truth you don’t believe me. 46 Which one of you can show me where I’m wrong? If I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God listens to what God says; the reason you don’t listen is that you don’t belong to God.”

48 The Judeans answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying you are from Shomron and have a demon?” 49 Yeshua replied, “Me? I have no demon. I am honoring my Father. But you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking praise for myself. There is One who is seeking it, and he is the judge. 51 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever obeys my teaching will never see death.”

52 The Judeans said to him, “Now we know for sure that you have a demon! Avraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever obeys my teaching will never taste death.’ 53 Avraham avinu died; you aren’t greater than he, are you? And the prophets also died. Who do you think you are?” 54 Yeshua answered, “If I praise myself, my praise counts for nothing. The One who is praising me is my Father, the very one about whom you keep saying, ‘He is our God.’ 55 Now you have not known him, but I do know him; indeed, if I were to say that I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you! But I do know him, and I obey his word. 56 Avraham, your father, was glad that he would see my day; then he saw it and was overjoyed.”

57 “Why, you’re not yet fifty years old,” the Judeans replied, “and you have seen Avraham?” 58 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! Before Avraham came into being, I AM!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Yeshua was hidden and left the Temple grounds.

And at dawn he came again to the temple,

and all the people were coming unto him, and having sat down, he was teaching them;

and the scribes and the Pharisees bring unto him a woman having been taken in adultery, and having set her in the midst,

they say to him, `Teacher, this woman was taken in the very crime -- committing adultery,

and in the law, Moses did command us that such be stoned; thou, therefore, what dost thou say?'

and this they said, trying him, that they might have to accuse him. And Jesus, having stooped down, with the finger he was writing on the ground,

and when they continued asking him, having bent himself back, he said unto them, `The sinless of you -- let him first cast the stone at her;'

and again having stooped down, he was writing on the ground,

and they having heard, and by the conscience being convicted, were going forth one by one, having begun from the elders -- unto the last; and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 And Jesus having bent himself back, and having seen no one but the woman, said to her, `Woman, where are those -- thine accusers? did no one pass sentence upon thee?'

11 and she said, `No one, Sir;' and Jesus said to her, `Neither do I pass sentence on thee; be going on, and no more sin.'

12 Again, therefore, Jesus spake to them, saying, `I am the light of the world; he who is following me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the light of the life.'

13 The Pharisees, therefore, said to him, `Thou of thyself dost testify, thy testimony is not true;'

14 Jesus answered and said to them, `And if I testify of myself -- my testimony is true, because I have known whence I came, and whither I go, and ye -- ye have not known whence I come, or whither I go.

15 `Ye according to the flesh do judge; I do not judge any one,

16 and even if I do judge my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me;

17 and also in your law it hath been written, that the testimony of two men are true;

18 I am [one] who is testifying of myself, and the Father who sent me doth testify of me.'

19 They said, therefore, to him, `Where is thy father?' Jesus answered, `Ye have neither known me nor my Father: if me ye had known, my Father also ye had known.'

20 These sayings spake Jesus in the treasury, teaching in the temple, and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come;

21 therefore said Jesus again to them, `I go away, and ye will seek me, and in your sin ye shall die; whither I go away, ye are not able to come.'

22 The Jews, therefore, said, `Will he kill himself, because he saith, Whither I go away, ye are not able to come?'

23 and he said to them, `Ye are from beneath, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this world;

24 I said, therefore, to you, that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye may not believe that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.'

25 They said, therefore, to him, `Thou -- who art thou?' and Jesus said to them, `Even what I did speak of to you at the beginning;

26 many things I have to speak concerning you and to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I -- what things I heard from Him -- these I say to the world.'

27 They knew not that of the Father he spake to them;

28 Jesus, therefore, said to them, `When ye may lift up the Son of Man then ye will know that I am [he]; and of myself I do nothing, but according as my Father did teach me, these things I speak;

29 and He who sent me is with me; the Father did not leave me alone, because I, the things pleasing to Him, do always.'

30 As he is speaking these things, many believed in him;

31 Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, `If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth,

32 and the truth shall make you free.'

33 They answered him, `Seed of Abraham we are; and to no one have we been servants at any time; how dost thou say -- Ye shall become free?'

34 Jesus answered them, `Verily, verily, I say to you -- Every one who is committing sin, is a servant of the sin,

35 and the servant doth not remain in the house -- to the age, the son doth remain -- to the age;

36 if then the son may make you free, in reality ye shall be free.

37 `I have known that ye are seed of Abraham, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you;

38 I -- that which I have seen with my Father do speak, and ye, therefore, that which ye have seen with your father -- ye do.'

39 They answered and said to him, `Our father is Abraham;' Jesus saith to them, `If children of Abraham ye were, the works of Abraham ye were doing;

40 and now, ye seek to kill me -- a man who hath spoken to you the truth I heard from God; this Abraham did not;

41 ye do the works of your father.' They said, therefore, to him, `We of whoredom have not been born; one Father we have -- God;'

42 Jesus then said to them, `If God were your father, ye were loving me, for I came forth from God, and am come; for neither have I come of myself, but He sent me;

43 wherefore do ye not know my speech? because ye are not able to hear my word.

44 `Ye are of a father -- the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do; he was a man-slayer from the beginning, and in the truth he hath not stood, because there is no truth in him; when one may speak the falsehood, of his own he speaketh, because he is a liar -- also his father.

45 `And because I say the truth, ye do not believe me.

46 Who of you doth convict me of sin? and if I speak truth, wherefore do ye not believe me?

47 he who is of God, the sayings of God he doth hear; because of this ye do not hear, because of God ye are not.'

48 The Jews, therefore, answered and said to him, `Do we not say well, that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?'

49 Jesus answered, `I have not a demon, but I honour my Father, and ye dishonour me;

50 and I do not seek my own glory; there is who is seeking and is judging;

51 verily, verily, I say to you, If any one may keep my word, death he may not see -- to the age.'

52 The Jews, therefore, said to him, `Now we have known that thou hast a demon; Abraham did die, and the prophets, and thou dost say, If any one may keep my word, he shall not taste of death -- to the age!

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died; whom dost thou make thyself?'

54 Jesus answered, `If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who is glorifying me, of whom ye say that He is your God;

55 and ye have not known Him, and I have known Him, and if I say that I have not known Him, I shall be like you -- speaking falsely; but I have known Him, and His word I keep;

56 Abraham, your father, was glad that he might see my day; and he saw, and did rejoice.'

57 The Jews, therefore, said unto him, `Thou art not yet fifty years old, and Abraham hast thou seen?'

58 Jesus said to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming -- I am;'

59 they took up, therefore, stones that they may cast at him, but Jesus hid himself, and went forth out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.(A)

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.(B) The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.(C) Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap,(D) in order to have a basis for accusing him.(E)

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone(F) at her.”(G) Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”(H) Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”(I)


Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am(J) the light of the world.(K) Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(L)

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”(M)

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.(N) But you have no idea where I come from(O) or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards;(P) I pass judgment on no one.(Q) 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.(R) 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.(S) 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”(T)

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,”(U) Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”(V) 20 He spoke these words while teaching(W) in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.(X) Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.(Y)

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die(Z) in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”(AA)

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.(AB) 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he,(AC) you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy,(AD) and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”(AE)

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man,(AF) then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.(AG) 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,(AH) for I always do what pleases him.”(AI) 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.(AJ)

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching,(AK) you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(AL)

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants(AM) and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.(AN) 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.(AO) 36 So if the Son sets you free,(AP) you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me,(AQ) because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence,(AR) and you are doing what you have heard from your father.[b](AS)

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,”(AT) said Jesus, “then you would[c] do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me,(AU) a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.(AV) Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”(AW)

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”(AX)

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,(AY) for I have come here from God.(AZ) I have not come on my own;(BA) God sent me.(BB) 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil,(BC) and you want to carry out your father’s desires.(BD) He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.(BE) 45 Yet because I tell the truth,(BF) you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.(BG) The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan(BH) and demon-possessed?”(BI)

49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself;(BJ) but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”(BK)

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed!(BL) Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham?(BM) He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself,(BN) my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.(BO) 55 Though you do not know him,(BP) I know him.(BQ) If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.(BR) 56 Your father Abraham(BS) rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it(BT) and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born,(BU) I am!”(BV) 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him,(BW) but Jesus hid himself,(BX) slipping away from the temple grounds.

Footnotes

  1. John 8:28 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
  2. John 8:38 Or presence. Therefore do what you have heard from the Father.
  3. John 8:39 Some early manuscripts “If you are Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then