John 9
Worldwide English (New Testament)
9 On his way out of the temple Jesus saw a man who had been born blind.
2 His disciples asked Jesus, `Master, was this man born blind because of the wrong things he did, or was it the wrong things his parents did?'
3 Jesus answered, `It was not that he or his parents did any wrong thing. But it was so that people would see what God will do in him.
4 There is one who has sent me. I must do his work while it is still daylight. Night is coming. Then it will be too dark to work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.'
6 When Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground. Then he put some of the wet dirt on the man's eyes.
7 And he said, `Go. wash your eyes in that water hole called Siloam.' (Siloam means Sent.) The man went and washed his eyes. After that, he was able to see.
8 His neighbours and other people had seen him when he was blind. They said, `Is not this the same man who used to sit here and beg?'
9 Some people said, `Yes, this is the same man.' Others said, `He is like that man.' But the man himself said, `I am that man.'
10 They asked him, `How is it that you can see now?'
11 He answered them, `That man whose name is Jesus made some mud. He rubbed it on my eyes and told me to go and wash them in the water hole Siloam. And when I had washed my eyes, I could see.'
12 `Where is the man?' they asked. He said, `I do not know.'
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
14 The day Jesus made the mud and healed the man was the Sabbath day.
15 Then the Pharisees also asked the man, `How is it that you can see now?' He answered them, `The man put mud on my eyes. I washed my eyes and now I can see.'
16 Then some of the Pharisees said, `This man is not from God. He does not obey the Sabbath day law.' The others said, `But how can a bad man do such a big work?' So the Pharisees did not agree together in what they thought about Jesus.
17 Then they asked the man who had been born blind, `What do you say about the man who healed you?' He answered, `I say he is a prophet from God.'
18 But the leaders of the Jews did not really believe what they heard about the man. They did not believe that first he had been blind and now was able to see. So they called the parents of the man who could now see.
19 `Tell us,' they said. `Is this your son who you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?'
20 The parents answered, `We know that this is our son. And we know that he was born blind.
21 But we do not know how it is that he can now see. We do not know who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to talk for himself.'
22 The parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. They knew that the leaders of the Jews had already agreed that if anyone said Jesus is the Christ, they would be put out of the meeting place.
23 That is why the parents said, `He is old enough to talk for himself. Ask him.'
24 Then again they called the man who had been blind. They said to him, `You must praise God for this. We know that the man who healed you is a bad man.'
25 He answered them, `I do not know if he is a bad man or not. But one thing I do know. I know that first I was blind, but now I can see.'
26 Then they said to him again, `What did he do to you? How did he heal you?'
27 He answered them, `I told you already. You did not listen. Why do you want me to tell you again? Do you also want to be his disciples?'
28 This made them angry. They said, `You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God talked to Moses. But this man, we do not know where he comes from.'
30 The man who had been blind said, `This surprises me! He healed me and yet you do not know where he comes from!
31 We know that God does not listen to bad people. But God listens to the person who shows him respect and who obeys him.
32 Before this, no one has ever healed a man who was born blind. Such a thing has not been heard of since the world was made.
33 If this man did not come from God, he could not do anything like this.'
34 They answered, `You have been a bad man ever since you were born! Now are you trying to teach us?' And with that they put him out of the meeting place.
35 Jesus heard that the people had put him out. When he found him, he said, `Do you believe in the Son of God?'
36 He answered, `Sir, who is the Son of God? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.'
37 Jesus said, `You have already seen him. The person who is talking to you now, he is the Son of God.'
38 The man said, `Sir, I do believe.' He kneeled down in front of Jesus and worshipped him.
39 Jesus said, `I came into the world so that people may be judged. I came so that those who are blind may see. And I came so that those who see may become blind.'
40 Some of the Pharisees were with Jesus and heard him say this. They asked him, `You mean to say that we are blind also?'
41 Jesus answered them, `If you agreed that you were blind, you would not be bad people. But you say, "We can see." So then you are still bad people.'
John 9
EasyEnglish Bible
Jesus makes a blind man able to see
9 While Jesus was walking along, he saw a certain man. This man had been blind since he was born. 2 Jesus' disciples asked him, ‘Teacher, why was this man blind when he was born? Was it because he himself did something wrong? Or was it because his parents did something wrong?’ 3 Jesus answered, ‘It was not because either this man or his parents did something wrong. It happened so that God could show his great work in this man. 4 While it is still day, we must continue to work. God has sent me and we must do his work. We must work now because it will be night soon. Then nobody can work. 5 While I am still here in the world, I am the world's light.’
6 When Jesus had finished speaking, he spat on the ground. He mixed it with dirt on the ground so that he made mud. Then he put some of the mud on the eyes of the blind man. 7 Jesus said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Siloam pool.’ (The name Siloam means ‘Sent’.) So the man went there and he washed himself. When he returned, now he could see.
8 People began to talk about him. Some of these people lived near him. Others had seen him when he was asking for money. They said, ‘This is the man who sat here. He asked people to give him money. Isn't that right?’ 9 Some people said, ‘Yes, it is him.’ But other people said, ‘No, it is someone who seems to be like him.’ But the man himself said, ‘I am that man.’
10 They asked him, ‘How did your eyes now become able to see?’ 11 He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made some mud. He put the mud on my eyes. Then he sent me to wash in the Siloam pool. So I went there and I washed. Then I could see.’
12 They asked him, ‘Where is this man?’ He replied, ‘I do not know.’
The Pharisees talk to the man who had been blind
13 The people brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 It was a Jewish day of rest when Jesus had done this miracle. He had used mud to make the man's eyes able to see. 15 So the Pharisees asked the man again, ‘How did you become able to see?’ The man replied, ‘Jesus put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I can see.’
16 So some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man Jesus cannot have come from God. He does not obey the rules about our day of rest.’ But other Pharisees said, ‘Nobody who is bad could do great things like this!’ So they did not agree with each other. 17 The Pharisees spoke again to the man who had been blind. They said to him, ‘What do you yourself say about this man? It was your eyes he has now made able to see.’ The man replied, ‘He is a prophet.’
18 The Jewish leaders still did not believe that the man had really been blind. They did not want to believe that he had now become able to see. So they told the man's parents to come to them. 19 They asked the parents, ‘Is this your son? You say, “When he was born, he was blind.” But now he can see. How did this happen?’ 20 The parents replied, ‘We know that this is our son. And when he was born, he was blind. We know that, too. 21 But we do not know how he can see now. We do not know who made his eyes able to see. Ask him. He is old enough to answer you for himself!’ 22 The man's parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders did not want anyone to say that Jesus was the Messiah. They would not let anyone like that belong to their meeting places. 23 That is why the man's parents said, ‘Ask him. He is old enough.’
24 So the leaders again spoke to the man who had been blind. They said to him, ‘In front of God, promise that you will speak only true things. We know that this man Jesus does not obey God.’ 25 The man replied, ‘I do not know whether he obeys God or not. But I do know one thing: I was blind and now I can see.’ 26 Then they asked him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he make your eyes able to see?’ 27 He answered them, ‘I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Maybe you want to become his disciples too!’ 28 Then the leaders were very angry with him. They shouted at him, ‘No, it is you! You are that man's disciple. But we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But who is this man? We do not even know where he comes from.’
30 The man answered, ‘That is a very strange thing! You do not know where this man comes from. But he is the one who made my eyes able to see. 31 We know that God does not listen to people who do not obey him. But he does listen to good people who do what he wants them to do. 32 Nobody has ever made the eyes of a blind man able to see, if that man had been blind when he was born. Since the world began, that has never happened! 33 So this man Jesus must have come from God. Unless he came from God, he could not do anything like that.’
34 The Jewish leaders answered him, ‘Since the day that you were born, you have never obeyed God's laws. You cannot teach us anything!’ And they threw him out of the meeting place.
People who do not believe in God are like blind people
35 Jesus heard that the Jewish leaders had thrown the man out. So he went and he found the man. Jesus asked him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ 36 The man answered, ‘Sir, please tell me who he is. Then I can believe in him.’ 37 Jesus said to him, ‘You have already seen him. It is me, the one who is talking to you now.’ 38 Then the man said, ‘Lord, now I believe.’ He bent down on his knees and he worshipped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus said, ‘I came into this world to judge people. Then people who know that they are blind will be able to see. And people who think they can see will become blind.’ 40 Some of the Pharisees who were there with him heard this. They asked Jesus, ‘Do you mean that we are also blind?’ 41 Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, God would not punish you for the wrong things you have done. But you say that you can see. You do wrong things with your eyes open, so God will punish you as guilty people.’
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