John 17
New American Standard Bible 1995
The High Priestly Prayer
17 Jesus spoke these things; and (A)lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; (B)glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as (C)You gave Him authority over all flesh, that (D)to [a]all whom You have given Him, (E)He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, (F)the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom (G)You have sent. 4 (H)I glorified You on the earth, [b](I)having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, (J)glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had (K)with You before the world was.
6 “(L)I have manifested Your name to the men whom (M)You gave Me out of the world; they were (N)Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have (O)kept Your word. 7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for (P)the words which You gave Me (Q)I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that (R)I came forth from You, and they believed that (S)You sent Me. 9 (T)I ask on their behalf; (U)I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom (V)You have given Me; for (W)they are Yours; 10 and (X)all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world; and yet (Y)they themselves are in the world, and (Z)I come to You. (AA)Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name (AB)which You have given Me, that (AC)they may be one even as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name (AD)which You have given Me; and I guarded them and (AE)not one of them perished but (AF)the [c]son of perdition, so that the (AG)Scripture would be fulfilled.
The Disciples in the World
13 But now (AH)I come to You; and (AI)these things I speak in the world so that they may have My (AJ)joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and (AK)the world has hated them, because (AL)they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them [d]from [e](AM)the evil one. 16 (AN)They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 (AO)Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As (AP)You sent Me into the world, (AQ)I also have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I (AR)sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be (AS)sanctified (AT)in truth.
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; (AU)even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, (AV)so that the world may [f]believe that (AW)You sent Me.
Their Future Glory
22 The (AX)glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 (AY)I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [g]in unity, so that the world may [h]know that (AZ)You sent Me, and (BA)loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that (BB)they also, whom You have given Me, (BC)be with Me where I am, so that they may see My (BD)glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before (BE)the foundation of the world.
25 “O (BF)righteous Father, [i]although (BG)the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that (BH)You sent Me; 26 and (BI)I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that (BJ)the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Footnotes
- John 17:2 Lit everything that You have given Him, to them He may
- John 17:4 Or by accomplishing
- John 17:12 Heb idiom for one destined to perish
- John 17:15 Or out of the power of
- John 17:15 Or evil
- John 17:21 Gr tense indicates continually believe
- John 17:23 Lit into one
- John 17:23 Gr tense indicates continually know
- John 17:25 Lit even the world
John 17
The Message
Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers
17 1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.
* * *
6-12 I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I’m no longer going to be visible in the world;
They’ll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a lookout.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
* * *
13-19 Now I’m returning to you.
I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,
Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways.
I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I’m consecrating myself for their sakes
So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
* * *
20-23 I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.
* * *
24-26 Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson