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
Living Bible
9 As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 “Master,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”
3 “Neither,” Jesus answered. “But to demonstrate the power of God. 4 All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. 5 But while I am still here in the world, I give it my light.”
6 Then he spat on the ground and made mud from the spittle and smoothed the mud over the blind man’s eyes, 7 and told him, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam” (the word Siloam means “Sent”). So the man went where he was sent and washed and came back seeing!
8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Is this the same fellow—that beggar?”
9 Some said yes, and some said no. “It can’t be the same man,” they thought, “but he surely looks like him!”
And the beggar said, “I am the same man!”
10 Then they asked him how in the world he could see. What had happened?
11 And he told them, “A man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash off the mud. I did, and I can see!”
12 “Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
13 Then they took the man to the Pharisees. 14 Now as it happened, this all occurred on a Sabbath.[a] 15 Then the Pharisees asked him all about it. So he told them how Jesus had smoothed the mud over his eyes, and when it was washed away, he could see!
16 Some of them said, “Then this fellow Jesus is not from God because he is working on the Sabbath.”
Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miracles?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
17 Then the Pharisees turned on the man who had been blind and demanded, “This man who opened your eyes—who do you say he is?”
“I think he must be a prophet sent from God,” the man replied.
18 The Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe he had been blind, until they called in his parents 19 and asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he see?”
20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know what happened to make him see, or who did it. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.”
22-23 They said this in fear of the Jewish leaders who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be excommunicated.
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “Give the glory to God, not to Jesus, for we know Jesus is an evil person.”
25 “I don’t know whether he is good or bad,” the man replied, “but I know this: I was blind, and now I see!”
26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once; didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know God has spoken to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t know anything about him.”
30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He can heal blind men, and yet you don’t know anything about him! 31 Well, God doesn’t listen to evil men, but he has open ears to those who worship him and do his will. 32 Since the world began there has never been anyone who could open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do it.”
34 “You illegitimate bastard,[b] you!” they shouted. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out.
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Messiah?”[c]
36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir, for I want to.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord,” the man said, “I believe!” And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 The Pharisees who were standing there asked, “Are you saying we are blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But your guilt remains because you claim to know what you are doing.
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The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.