John 15-16
New Living Translation
Jesus, the True Vine
15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures[a]: ‘They hated me without cause.’
26 “But I will send you the Advocate[b]—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. 27 And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
16 “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. 2 For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. 3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[c] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Sadness Will Be Turned to Joy
16 “In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.”
17 Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? 18 And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”
19 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. 21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. 23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.
25 “I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. 26 Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, 27 for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.[d] 28 Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.”
29 Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. 30 Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”
31 Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? 32 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 15-16
New King James Version
The True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 (A)Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear (B)more fruit. 3 (C)You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 (D)Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much (E)fruit; for without Me you can do (F)nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, (G)he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words (H)abide in you, (I)you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 (J)By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; (K)so you will be My disciples.
Love and Joy Perfected
9 “As the Father (L)loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 (M)If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and (N)that your joy may be full. 12 (O)This is My (P)commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 (Q)Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 (R)You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, (S)for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 (T)You did not choose Me, but I chose you and (U)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father (V)in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
The World’s Hatred
18 (W)“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 (X)If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet (Y)because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, (Z)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. (AA)If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But (AB)all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 (AC)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, (AD)but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 (AE)He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them (AF)the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have (AG)seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, (AH)‘They hated Me without a cause.’
The Coming Rejection
26 (AI)“But when the [c]Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, (AJ)He will testify of Me. 27 And (AK)you also will bear witness, because (AL)you have been with Me from the beginning.
Jesus Warns and Comforts His Disciples
16 “These things I have spoken to you, that you (AM)should not be made to stumble. 2 (AN)They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming (AO)that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And (AP)these things they will do [d]to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when [e]the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.
“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5 “But now I (AQ)go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, (AR)sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but (AS)if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has (AT)come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 (AU)of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 (AV)of righteousness, (AW)because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 (AX)of judgment, because (AY)the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, (AZ)but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, (BA)the Spirit of truth, has come, (BB)He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 (BC)He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 (BD)All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He [f]will take of Mine and declare it to you.
Sorrow Will Turn to Joy
16 “A (BE)little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, (BF)because I go to the Father.”
17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not [g]know what He is saying.”
19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and (BG)lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into (BH)joy. 21 (BI)A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and (BJ)your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. (BK)Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, (BL)that your joy may be (BM)full.
Jesus Christ Has Overcome the World
25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you (BN)plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 (BO)for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and (BP)have believed that I came forth from God. 28 (BQ)I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that (BR)You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this (BS)we believe that You came forth from God.”
31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 (BT)Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, (BU)each to his [h]own, and will leave Me alone. And (BV)yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that (BW)in Me you may have peace. (BX)In the world you [i]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, (BY)I have overcome the world.”
Footnotes
- John 15:2 Or lifts up
- John 15:7 NU omits you will
- John 15:26 Comforter, Gr. Parakletos
- John 16:3 NU, M omit to you
- John 16:4 NU their
- John 16:15 NU, M takes of Mine and will declare
- John 16:18 understand
- John 16:32 own things or place
- John 16:33 NU, M omit will
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
