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Jesús da la vista a un hombre que nació ciego

Al salir, Jesús vio a su paso a un hombre que había nacido ciego. Sus discípulos le preguntaron:

—Maestro, ¿por qué nació ciego este hombre? ¿Por el pecado de sus padres, o por su propio pecado?

Jesús les contestó:

—Ni por su propio pecado ni por el de sus padres; fue más bien para que en él se demuestre lo que Dios puede hacer. Mientras es de día, tenemos que hacer el trabajo del que me envió; pues viene la noche, cuando nadie puede trabajar. Mientras estoy en este mundo, soy la luz del mundo.

Después de haber dicho esto, Jesús escupió en el suelo, hizo con la saliva un poco de lodo y se lo untó al ciego en los ojos. Luego le dijo:

—Ve a lavarte al estanque de Siloé (que significa: «Enviado»).

El ciego fue y se lavó, y cuando regresó ya podía ver. Los vecinos y los que antes lo habían visto pedir limosna se preguntaban:

—¿No es éste el que se sentaba a pedir limosna?

Unos decían:

—Sí, es él.

Otros decían:

—No, no es él, aunque se le parece.

Pero él mismo decía:

—Sí, yo soy.

10 Entonces le preguntaron:

—¿Y cómo es que ahora puedes ver?

11 Él les contestó:

—Ese hombre que se llama Jesús hizo lodo, me lo untó en los ojos, y me dijo: “Ve al estanque de Siloé, y lávate.” Yo fui, y en cuanto me lavé, pude ver.

12 Entonces le preguntaron:

—¿Dónde está ese hombre?

Y él les dijo:

—No lo sé.

Los fariseos interrogan al ciego que fue sanado

13-14 El día en que Jesús hizo el lodo y devolvió la vista al ciego era sábado. Por eso llevaron ante los fariseos al que había sido ciego, 15 y ellos le preguntaron cómo era que ya podía ver. Y él les contestó:

—Me puso lodo en los ojos, me lavé, y ahora veo.

16 Algunos fariseos dijeron:

—El que hizo esto no puede ser de Dios, porque no respeta el sábado.

Pero otros decían:

—¿Cómo puede hacer estas señales milagrosas, si es pecador?

De manera que hubo división entre ellos, 17 y volvieron a preguntarle al que antes era ciego:

—Puesto que te ha dado la vista, ¿qué dices de él?

Él contestó:

—Yo digo que es un profeta.

18 Pero los judíos no quisieron creer que había sido ciego y que ahora podía ver, hasta que llamaron a sus padres 19 y les preguntaron:

—¿Es éste su hijo? ¿Declaran ustedes que nació ciego? ¿Cómo es que ahora puede ver?

20 Sus padres contestaron:

—Sabemos que éste es nuestro hijo, y que nació ciego; 21 pero no sabemos cómo es que ahora puede ver, ni tampoco sabemos quién le dio la vista. Pregúntenselo a él; ya es mayor de edad, y él mismo puede darles razón.

22 Sus padres dijeron esto por miedo, pues los judíos se habían puesto de acuerdo para expulsar de la sinagoga a cualquiera que reconociera que Jesús era el Mesías. 23 Por eso dijeron sus padres: «Pregúntenselo a él, que ya es mayor de edad.»

24 Los judíos volvieron a llamar al que había sido ciego, y le dijeron:

—Dinos la verdad delante de Dios. Nosotros sabemos que ese hombre es pecador.

25 Él les contestó:

—Si es pecador, no lo sé. Lo que sí sé es que yo era ciego y ahora veo.

26 Volvieron a preguntarle:

—¿Qué te hizo? ¿Qué hizo para darte la vista?

27 Les contestó:

—Ya se lo he dicho, pero no me hacen caso. ¿Por qué quieren que se lo repita? ¿Es que también ustedes quieren seguirlo?

28 Entonces lo insultaron, y le dijeron:

—Tú serás discípulo de ese hombre; nosotros somos discípulos de Moisés. 29 Y sabemos que Dios le habló a Moisés, pero de ése no sabemos ni siquiera de dónde ha salido.

30 El hombre les contestó:

—¡Qué cosa tan rara! Ustedes no saben de dónde ha salido, y en cambio a mí me ha dado la vista. 31 Bien sabemos que Dios no escucha a los pecadores; solamente escucha a los que lo adoran y hacen su voluntad. 32 Nunca se ha oído decir de nadie que diera la vista a una persona que nació ciega. 33 Si este hombre no viniera de Dios, no podría hacer nada.

34 Le dijeron entonces:

—Tú, que naciste lleno de pecado, ¿quieres darnos lecciones a nosotros?

Y lo expulsaron de la sinagoga.

Ciegos espirituales

35 Jesús oyó decir que habían expulsado al ciego; y cuando se encontró con él, le preguntó:

—¿Crees tú en el Hijo del hombre?

36 Él le dijo:

—Señor, dime quién es, para que yo crea en él.

37 Jesús le contestó:

—Ya lo has visto: soy yo, con quien estás hablando.

38 Entonces el hombre se puso de rodillas delante de Jesús, y le dijo:

—Creo, Señor.

39 Luego dijo Jesús:

—Yo he venido a este mundo para hacer juicio, para que los ciegos vean y para que los que ven se vuelvan ciegos.

40 Algunos fariseos que estaban con él, al oír esto, le preguntaron:

—¿Acaso nosotros también somos ciegos?

41 Jesús les contestó:

—Si ustedes fueran ciegos, no tendrían culpa de sus pecados. Pero como dicen que ven, son culpables.

A Man Born Blind Is Given Sight

And as he[a] went away, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” Jesus replied, “Neither this man sinned nor his parents, but it happened[b] so that the works of God could be revealed in him. It is necessary for us to do the deeds of the one who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work! While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he[c] had said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes. And he said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “sent”). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Then the neighbors and those who saw him previously (because he was a beggar) began to say,[d] “Is this man not the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “It is this man”; others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” That one was saying, “I am he!” 10 So they began to say[e] to him, “How[f] were your eyes opened?” 11 He replied, “The man who is called Jesus made clay and smeared it[g] on my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash!’ So I went, and I washed, and[h] I received sight.” 12 And they said to him, “Where is that man?” He said, “I do not know.”

The Reaction of the Pharisees to the Healing

13 They brought him—the one formerly blind—to the Pharisees. 14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes was the Sabbath.) 15 So the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received sight. And he said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath!” Others[i] were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”

18 So the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and received sight, until they summoned the parents of the one[j] who received sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this man your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 So his parents answered and said, “We know that this man is our son, and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. Ask him! He is a mature adult;[k] he will speak for himself!” 22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already decided that if anyone should confess him to be Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 Because of this his parents said, “He is a mature adult;[l] ask him.”)

24 So they summoned the man who had been blind for the second time and said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner!” 25 Then that man replied, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I know—that although I[m] was blind, now I see!” 26 So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He replied to them, “I told you already and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it[n] again? You do not want to become his disciples also, do you?”[o] 28 They reviled[p] him and said, “You are his disciple! But we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “For the remarkable thing is this, that you do not know where he is from, and he opened my eyes! 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if someone is devout and does his will, he listens to this one. 32 From time immemorial[q] it has not been heard that someone opened the eyes of one born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything!” 34 They answered and said to him, “You were born completely in sin, and are you attempting to teach[r] us?” And they threw him out.

Jesus as the Son of Man

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered and said, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and he is the one who is speaking with you.” [[38 And he said, “I believe, Lord!” and he worshiped him. 39 And Jesus said,]][s] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind!” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and said to him, “We are not also blind, are we?”[t] 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Footnotes

  1. John 9:1 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“went away”) which is understood as temporal
  2. John 9:3 The words “it happened” are not in the Greek text but are implied
  3. John 9:6 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had said”) which is understood as temporal
  4. John 9:8 *The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”)
  5. John 9:10 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”)
  6. John 9:10 Some manuscripts have “Then how”
  7. John 9:11 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. John 9:11 Here “and” is supplied because the two previous participles (“went” and “washed”) have been translated as finite verbs
  9. John 9:16 Some manuscripts have “But others”
  10. John 9:18 Literally “of him”
  11. John 9:21 Literally “he has maturity”
  12. John 9:23 Literally “he has maturity”
  13. John 9:25 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as concessive
  14. John 9:27 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  15. John 9:27 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “do you
  16. John 9:28 Some manuscripts have “And they reviled”
  17. John 9:32 Literally “the age”
  18. John 9:34 Here the present tense is translated as a conative present (“attempting to teach”)
  19. John 9:39 A number of important manuscripts lack v. 38 and the first part of v. 39 (“and Jesus said”)
  20. John 9:40 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are we