²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is ^(A)fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² So all bore witness to Him, and ^(B)marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ^(C)“Is this not Joseph’s son?”

²³ He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in ^(D)Capernaum,^[a] do also here in ^(E)Your country.’ ” ²⁴ Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no ^(F)prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵ But I tell you truly, ^(G)many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; ²⁶ but to none of them was Elijah sent except to ^[b]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ^27 (H)And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were ^(I)filled with ^[c]wrath, ^29 (J)and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. ³⁰ Then ^(K)passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Jesus and the Religious Leaders

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. ³³ Then Jesus said ^[a]to them, ^(A)“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I ^(B)go to Him who sent Me. ³⁴ You ^(C)will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you ^(D)cannot come.”

³⁵ Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to ^(E)the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

^37 (F)On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ^(G)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ^38 (H)He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ^(I)out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ^39 (J)But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those ^[b]believing in Him would receive; for the ^[c]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^(K)glorified.

Who Is He?

⁴⁰ Therefore ^[d]many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is ^(L)the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is ^(M)the Christ.”

But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? ^42 (N)Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, ^(O)where David was?” ⁴³ So ^(P)there was a division among the people because of Him. ⁴⁴ Now ^(Q)some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁵² Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(A)have a demon! ^(B)Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. ^(C)Who do You make Yourself out to be?”

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, ^(D)“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. ^(E)It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is ^[a]your God. ⁵⁵ Yet ^(F)you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and ^(G)keep His word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham ^(H)rejoiced to see My day, ^(I)and he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(J)before Abraham was, ^(K)I AM.”

⁵⁹ Then ^(L)they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, ^(M)going^[b] through the midst of them, and so passed by.

¹⁹ Therefore ^(A)there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. ²⁰ And many of them said, ^(B)“He has a demon and is ^[a]mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

²¹ Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. ^(C)Can a demon ^(D)open the eyes of the blind?”

The Shepherd Knows His Sheep

²² Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. ²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, ^(E)in Solomon’s porch. ²⁴ Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in ^[b]doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ^(F)The works that I do in My Father’s name, they ^(G)bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But ^(H)you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, ^[c]as I said to you. ^27 (I)My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ^29 (J)My Father, ^(K)who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ^30 (L)I and My Father are one.”

Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

³¹ Then ^(M)the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

³³ The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for ^(N)blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, ^(O)make Yourself God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ^(P)‘I said, “You are gods” ’? ³⁵ If He called them gods, ^(Q)to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture ^(R)cannot be broken), ³⁶ do you say of Him ^(S)whom the Father sanctified and ^(T)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ ^(U)because I said, ‘I am ^(V)the Son of God’? ^37 (W)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do, though you do not believe Me, ^(X)believe the works, that you may know and ^[d]believe ^(Y)that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” ^39 (Z)Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.