² At daybreak he appeared again in the Temple, and all the people came to him. So he sat down and began to teach them. ³ But the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.^[a] After setting her before them,^{[b] 4} they told him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. ⁵ Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women to death. What do you say?” ⁶ They said this to test him, so that they might have a charge against him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.

⁷ When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, “Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground.^{[c] 9} When they heard this, they went away one by one,^[d] beginning with the oldest,^[e] and he was left alone with the woman standing there.^{[f] 10} Then Jesus stood up and asked her, “Dear lady,^[g] where are your accusers?^[h] Hasn’t anyone condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,”^[i] she replied.

Then Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you, either. Go home, and from now on don’t sin anymore.”^[j]