John 9:1-23

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 9

The Man Born Blind. ^1 [a]As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth.^{(A) 2 [b]}His disciples asked him,^(B) “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.^{(C) 4} We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.^{(D) 5} While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”^{(E) 6} When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes,^{(F) 7} and said to him, “Go wash^[c] in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.^(G)

⁸ His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” ¹⁰ So they said to him, “[So] how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹ He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” ¹² And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

¹³ They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ Now Jesus had made clay^[d] and opened his eyes on a sabbath.^{(H) 15} So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” ¹⁶ So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” [But] others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them.^{(I) 17} So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”^(J)

¹⁸ Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. ¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” ²⁰ His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹ We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” ^22 [e](K)His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. ²³ For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”^(L)