John 9
J.B. Phillips New Testament
Jesus and blindness, physical and spiritual
9 Later, as Jesus walked along he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
2 “Master, whose sin caused this man’s blindness,” asked the disciples, “his own or his parents’?”
3-5 “He was not born blind because of his own sin or that of his parents,” returned Jesus, “but to show the power of God at work in him. We must carry on the work of him who sent me while the daylight lasts. Night is coming, when no one can work. I am the world’s light as long as I am in it.”
6-7 Having said this, he spat on the ground and made a sort of clay with the saliva. This he applied to the man’s eyes and said, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.” (Siloam means “one who has been sent”.) So the man went off and washed and came home with his sight restored.
8 His neighbours and the people who had often seen him before as a beggar remarked, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
9 “Yes, that’s the one,” said some. Others said, “No, but he’s very like him.” But he himself said, “I’m the man all right!”
10 “Then how was your blindness cured?” they asked.
11 “The man called Jesus made some clay and smeared it on my eyes,” he replied, “and then he said, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So off I went and washed—and that’s how I got my sight!”
12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he returned.
13-15 So they brought the man who had once been blind before the Pharisees. (It should be noted that Jesus made the clay and restored his sight on a Sabbath day.) The Pharisees asked the question all over again as to how he had become able to see. “He put clay on my eyes; I washed it off; now I can see—that’s all,” he replied.
16-17 Some of the Pharisees commented, “This man cannot be from God since he does not observe the Sabbath.” “But how can a sinner give such wonderful signs as these?” others demurred. And they were in two minds about him. Finally, they asked the blind man again, “And what do you say about him? You’re the one whose sight was restored.” “I believe he is a prophet,” he replied.
18-19 The Jews did not really believe that the man had been blind and then had become able to see, until they had summoned his parents and asked them, “Is this your son who you say was born blind? How does it happen that he can now see?”
20-21 “We know that this is our son, and we know that he was born blind,” returned his parents, “but how he can see now, or who made him able to see, we have no idea. Why don’t you ask him? He is a grown-up man; he can speak for himself.”
22-23 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews who had already agreed that anybody who admitted that Christ had done this thing should be excommunicated. It was this fear which made his parents say, “Ask him, he is a grown-up man.”
24 So, once again they summoned the man who had been born blind and said to him, “You should ‘give God the glory’ for what has happened to you. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 “Whether he is a sinner or not, I couldn’t tell, but one thing I am sure of,” the man replied, “I used to be blind, now I can see!”
26 “But what did he do to you—how did he make you see?” they continued.
27 “I’ve told you before,” he replied. “Weren’t you listening? Why do you want to hear it all over again? Are you wanting to be his disciples too?”
28-29 At this, they turned on him furiously. “You’re the one who is his disciple! We are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t even know where he came from.”
30-33 “Now here’s the extraordinary thing,” he retorted, “you don’t know where he came from and yet he gave me the gift of sight. Everybody knows that God does not listen to sinners. It is the man who has a proper respect for God and does what God wants him to do—he’s the one God listens to. Why, since the world began, nobody’s ever heard of a man who was born blind being given his sight. If this man did not come from God, he couldn’t do such a thing!”
34 “You misbegotten wretch!” they flung back at him. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had expelled him and when he had found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “And who is he, sir?” the man replied. “Tell me, so that I can believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” replied Jesus. “It is the one who is talking to you now.”
38 “Lord, I do believe,” he said, and worshipped him.
39 Then Jesus said, “My coming into this world is itself a judgment—those who cannot see have their eyes opened and those who think they can see become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees near him overheard this and said, “So we’re blind, too, are we?”
41 “If you were blind,” returned Jesus, “nobody could blame you, but, as you insist ‘We can see’, your guilt remains.”
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.'
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
© 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications