John 9
New Matthew Bible
Christ makes the man who was born blind able to see.
9 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin: this man, or his father and mother, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor yet his father and mother, but it is so that the works of God may be shown on him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night comes, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 As soon as he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and rubbed the clay on the eyes of the blind man, 7 and said to him, Go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which, translated, means Sent). He went his way and washed, and came back seeing. 8 The neighbours and people that had seen him before, how he was a beggar, said, Is this not the man who sat and begged? 9 Some said, This is the man. Others said, He is like him. But he himself said, I am he.
10 They said to him, How were your eyes opened then? 11 He answered and said, The man that is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool Siloam and wash. And I went and washed, and received my sight.
12 They said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not know.
13 Then they brought to the Pharisees the man who a little before had been blind. 14 For it was the Sabbath day when Jesus had made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and do see. 16 Then some of the Pharisees said, This man is not of God, because he does not keep the Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles? And there was disagreement among them. 17 Then they spoke to the blind man again: What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning the fellow, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the father and mother of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?
20 His father and mother answered them and said, We know well that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But by what means he now sees, that we do not know. Or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is old enough; ask him. Let him answer for himself.
22 His father and mother spoke such words because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had decided already that if anyone confessed that Jesus was the Christ, he would be excommunicated out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his father and mother said, He is old enough; ask him.
24 Then again they called the man who had been blind and said to him, Give God the praise. We know that this man is a sinner.
25 He answered and said, Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I am sure of: I was blind, and now I see.
26 Then they said to him again, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?
27 He answered them, I told you already, and you did not hear. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to be his disciples?
28 Then they berated him and said, You are his disciple. We are Moses’ disciples. 29 We are sure that God spoke with Moses. This fellow, we do not know where he is from.
30 The man answered and said to them, This is a marvellous thing, that you do not where he is from, seeing he has opened my eyes. 31 For we are sure that God does not hear sinners. But if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, him he hears. 32 Since the world began it has never been heard that any man opened the eyes of someone that was born blind. 33 If this man were not of God, he could have done nothing.
34 They answered and said to him, You are altogether born in sin, and do you teach us? And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had excommunicated the man, and as soon as he found him, he said to him, Do you believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, Who is it, Lord, so that I can believe on him? 37 And Jesus said to him, You have seen him, and he it is who talks with you.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe! and worshipped him.
39 Jesus said, I have come for judgment into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see, may be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, Are we then blind? 41 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, We see. Therefore your sin remains.
Yochanan 9
Orthodox Jewish Bible
9 And passing along, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saw a man ivver (blind) from birth.
2 The talmidim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach asked him, Rebbe, who committed averos, this man or the horim (parents) of him, that he was born ivver? [YECHEZKEL 18:20; SHEMOT 20:5; IYOV 21;19]
3 In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Neither this man sinned nor the horim of him, but that the pe’ulot of Hashem may be manifested in him.
4 It is necessary for us to work the pe’ulot of the One having sent me while it is Yom. Lailah comes when no one is able to work.[Jer 13:16] ]
5 As long as I am in the Olam Hazeh, I am the Ohr HaOlam.
6 Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva and he anointed the clay upon the man’s eyes,
7 And said to him, Go wash in the pool of Shiloach! [MELACHIM BAIS 5:10].‖The name means sent‖He went therefore and washed and came seeing. [YESHAYAH 35:5]
8 Therefore, the shchenim and the ones seeing the man who was formerly a betler, came, saying, Is this not the man who was sitting and begging?
9 Some were saying, This is the one! Others were saying, No, but it is a man like him. But the man was saying, I am the one!
10 Therefore, the people were saying to him, How, then, were your eyes opened?
11 In reply, the man said, The one called Yehoshua took clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to Shiloach [MELACHIM BAIS 5:10] and wash. Therefore, having gone, and having washed, I saw!
12 And they said to him, Where is that one? The man says to them, I do not have da’as of that.
13 The people lead the man to the Perushim…the man who had formerly been ivver (blind).
14 Now the time period Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach took the clay and opened his eyes was a Shabbos.
15 Then again also the Perushim were asking him how his eyes were opened, and the man said to them, The man placed clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see.
16 Therefore some of the Perushim were saying, This man is not from Hashem, because he is a Mechallel Shabbos (desecrator of Shabbos). But others were saying, How is a man who is a choteh (sinner) able to do such otot? There was a machloket (division of dissension) among them.
17 Therefore, they say to the ivver (blind man) again, What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes? And the man said, He is a Navi.
18 Therefore, those of Yehudah did not believe that the man had been ivver (blind) until they called the horim of the man whose eyes were opened.
19 And they asked the horim, saying, Is this the ben of you, whom you say was born ivver? How, therefore, does he now have sight?
20 In reply, therefore, his horim said, We have da’as that this man is the ben of us and that he was born ivver,
21 But how he sees now we do not have da’as nor do we have da’as of who opened his eyes. Interrogate him. He’s had his Bar Mitzvah (T.N. i.e., he is of age). He will speak for himself.
22 His horim said these things, because they were fearing those of Yehudah, for already those of Yehudah had agreed that if any person made hoda’ah (confession) of him to be the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, that person would be put under cherem ban from the shul.
23 Therefore, his horim said, He has reached his religious majority and is of age. Interrogate him.
24 They called a second time, therefore, the man who had been ivver (blind) and said to him, V’ten lo todah. (Give glory to G-d) [YEHOSHUA 7:19] We have da’as that this man is a choteh (sinner). [TEHILLIM 68:35; YEHOSHUA 7:19]
25 In reply, therefore, he said, If he is a choteh (sinner), of that I don’t have da’as. Of one thing I do have da’as, that though I was ivver, now I see.
26 They said, therefore, to him, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?
27 The man answered them, I told you already, and you do not listen. Why again do you want to hear? Surely you do not want to become his talmidim also?
28 And they reviled him and said, You are a talmid of that man, but we are talmidim of Moshe Rabbeinu. [BAMIDBAR 12:2,8]
29 We have da’as that Hashem has spoken to Moshe Rabbeinu, but this man, we do not have da’as from where he comes.
30 In reply, the man said to them, Here is a real cheftza! That you do not have da’as from where he comes, and he opened my eyes!
31 We have da’as that G-d does not listen to chote’'im (sinners), but if anyone has chassidus and yirat shomayim and does the ratzon (will) of Him, this one G-d hears. [TEHILLIM 18:23-32; 34:15 16; 66:18; 145:19-20; 51:7(5); MISHLE 15:8,29; YESHAYAH 1:15; 59:1-2]
32 Never vi-bahlt the Bri’at HaOlam (the Creation of the World) it was heard of that anyone opened the eyes of an ivver (blind man) having been born thus.
33 If this man was not from Hashem, he would not be able to do anything.
34 They answered and said to him, You were born totally B’AVON (in sin) and you teach us? And they threw him out. [TEHILLIM 51:5(7)]
35 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach heard that they threw him out, and, having found him, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Do you have emunah (faith) in the Ben HaAdam?
36 In reply, the man said, And who is he, Adoni, that I may have emunah in him?
37 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.
38 And the man said, Ani ma’amin, Adoni. And he fell down prostrate before him.
39 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, For the sake of Mishpat, I came into the Olam Hazeh, that the ones who are ivrim (blind ones) may see, and the ones seeing may become ivrim.
40 Some of the Perushim heard these things, the ones being with him, and they said to him, Surely we are not ivrim, are we?
41 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, If you were ivrim (blind men), you would not have chet, but now vi-bahlt (since) you say, We see, the chet of you remains.
John 9
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 While Jesus was walking, he saw a man who had been blind since the time he was born. 2 Jesus’ followers asked him, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do. 4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the one who sent me. The night is coming, and no one can work at night. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see.
8 His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?”
9 Some people said, “Yes! He is the one.” But others said, “No, he can’t be the same man. He only looks like him.”
So the man himself said, “I am that same man.”
10 They asked, “What happened? How did you get your sight?”
11 He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went there and washed. And then I could see.”
12 They asked him, “Where is this man?”
He answered, “I don’t know.”
Some Pharisees Have Questions
13 Then the people brought the man to the Pharisees. 14 The day Jesus had made mud and healed the man’s eyes was a Sabbath day. 15 So the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”
He answered, “He put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “That man does not obey the law about the Sabbath day. So he is not from God.”
Others said, “But someone who is a sinner cannot do these miraculous signs.” So they could not agree with each other.
17 They asked the man again, “Since it was your eyes he healed, what do you say about him?”
He answered, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jewish leaders still did not believe that this really happened to the man—that he was blind and was now healed. But later they sent for his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? You say he was born blind. So how can he see?”
20 His parents answered, “We know that this man is our son. And we know that he was born blind. 21 But we don’t know why he can see now. We don’t know who healed his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself.” 22 They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already decided that they would punish anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah. They would stop them from coming to the synagogue. 23 That is why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So the Jewish leaders called the man who had been blind. They told him to come in again. They said, “You should honor God by telling the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 The man answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. But I do know this: I was blind, and now I can see.”
26 They asked, “What did he do to you? How did he heal your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have already told you that. But you would not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to be his followers too?”
28 At this they shouted insults at him and said, “You are his follower, not us! We are followers of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don’t even know where this man comes from!”
30 The man answered, “This is really strange! You don’t know where he comes from, but he healed my eyes. 31 We all know that God does not listen to sinners, but he will listen to anyone who worships and obeys him. 32 This is the first time we have ever heard of anyone healing the eyes of someone born blind. 33 This man must be from God. If he were not from God, he could not do anything like this.”
34 The Jewish leaders answered, “You were born full of sin! Are you trying to teach us?” And they told the man to get out of the synagogue and to stay out.
Spiritual Blindness
35 When Jesus heard that they had forced the man to leave, he found him and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man said, “Tell me who he is, sir, so I can believe in him.”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have already seen him. The Son of Man is the one talking with you now.”
38 The man answered, “Yes, I believe, Lord!” Then he bowed and worshiped Jesus.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that people who are blind[a] could see. And I came so that people who think they see would become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees were near Jesus. They heard him say this. They asked, “What? Are you saying that we are blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But you say that you see, so you are still guilty.”
Footnotes
- John 9:39 people who are blind Jesus is talking about people who are spiritually blind (without understanding), not physically blind.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International