Bible in 90 Days
A Question about Paying Taxes(A)
20 So they watched him closely and sent spies who pretended to be honest men in order to trap him in what he would say. They wanted to hand him over to the jurisdiction[a] of the governor, 21 so they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you’re right in what you say and teach, and that you don’t favor any individual, but teach the way of God truthfully. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 But he discerned their craftiness and responded to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose face and name does it have?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 So he told them, “Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26 So they couldn’t catch him before the people in what he said. Amazed at his answer, they became silent.
A Question about the Resurrection(B)
27 Now some Sadducees, who claim there is no resurrection, came to Jesus[b] 28 and asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, the man[c] should marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died childless. 30 Then the second 31 and the third married her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. 32 Finally, the woman died, too. 33 Now in the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be, since the seven had married her?”
34 Jesus told them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are married, 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Nor can they die anymore, because they are like the angels and, since they share in the resurrection, are God’s children. 37 Even Moses demonstrated in the story about the bush that the dead are raised, when he calls the Lord, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[d] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because he considers all people to be alive to him.”
39 Then some of the scribes replied, “Teacher, you have given a fine answer.” 40 Then they no longer dared to ask him another question.
A Question about David’s Son(C)
41 Then he asked them, “How can people[e] say that the Messiah[f] is David’s son? 42 Because David himself in the book of Psalms says,
‘The Lord[g] told my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[h]
44 So David calls him ‘Lord.’ Then how can he be his son?”
Jesus Denounces the Scribes(D)
45 While all the people were listening, he told his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses[i] and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!”
The Widow’s Offering(E)
21 Now Jesus[j] looked up and saw rich people dropping their gifts into the offering box.[k] 2 Then he saw a destitute widow drop in two small copper coins.[l] 3 He said, “I tell you with certainty, this destitute widow has dropped in more than all of them, 4 because all the others contributed to the offering[m] out of their surplus, but she, in her poverty, dropped in everything she had to live on.”
Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple(F)
5 Now while some people were talking about the Temple—how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God—he said, 6 “As for these things that you’re seeing, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another that won’t be completely demolished.”
The Coming Wars and Revolutions(G)
7 Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen, and what is to be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
8 He said, “See to it that you aren’t deceived, because many will come in my name, proclaiming, ‘I AM,’ and, ‘The time has come.’ Don’t follow them. 9 But when you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t ever be terrified, because these sorts of things must take place first, but the end won’t come right away.”
10 Then he went on to say to them, “Nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 In addition there will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places, as well as terrifying events, including significant signs from heaven.”
Future Persecutions(H)
12 “But before all these things, people[n] will arrest you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake, 13 in order to give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So purpose in your hearts not to prepare your defense ahead of time, 15 because I will give you the ability to speak, along with wisdom, that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated continuously by everyone on account of my name. 18 And yet not a hair on your head will be lost. 19 But the person who endures to the end will be saved.”
Signs of the End(I)
20 “So when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then understand that its devastation is approaching. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in the countryside must not go into it, 22 because these are the days of vengeance when all that is written will be fulfilled.
23 “How terrible it will be for those women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days!—because there will be great distress in the land[o] and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be carried off as captives among all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled on by unbelievers[p] until the times of the unbelievers[q] are fulfilled.”
The Coming of the Son of Man(J)
25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and there will be distress on earth among the nations that are confused by the roaring of the sea and its waves. 26 People will faint from fear and apprehension because of what’s to be coming to the inhabited world, because the powers of the heavens will be disrupted. 27 Then people[r] will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’[s] with power and great glory.
28 “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is approaching.”
The Lesson from the Fig Tree(K)
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 As soon as they produce leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already approaching. 31 In the same way, when you see these things taking place, you will know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell all of you[t] with certainty, this generation won’t disappear until all these things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words won’t ever disappear.”
Be Alert
34 “Constantly be on your guard so that your hearts will not be loaded down with self-indulgence, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, or that day will take you by surprise 35 like a trap, because it will come on everyone who lives on the face of the earth. 36 So be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”
37 Now during the day Jesus[u] would teach in the Temple, but when evening came he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives. 38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the Temple.
The Plot to Kill Jesus(L)
22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. 2 So the high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the crowd.
3 But Satan went into Judas called Iscariot, who belonged to the circle[v] of the Twelve. 4 So he went off and discussed with the high priests and the Temple police how he could betray Jesus[w] to them. 5 They were delighted, and agreed to give him money. 6 Judas[x] accepted their offer and began to look for a good opportunity to betray Jesus[y] to them when no crowd was present.
The Passover with the Disciples(M)
7 Then the day of the Festival[z] of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus[aa] sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover meal.”
9 They asked him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”
10 He told them, “Just after you go into the city, a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large upstairs room that is furnished. Get things ready for us there.” 13 So they went and found everything just as Jesus[ab] had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
The Lord’s Supper(N)
14 Now when the hour came, Jesus[ac] took his place at the table, along with his apostles. 15 He told them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer, 16 because I tell all of you,[ad] I will never eat it again until it finds its fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves, 18 because I tell you, from now on I will never drink the product of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 Then he took a loaf of bread, gave thanks, broke it in pieces, and handed it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Keep on doing this in memory of me.”
20 He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed[ae] by my blood, which is being poured out for you. 21 Yet look! The hand of the man who is betraying me is with me on the table! 22 The Son of Man is going away, just as it has been determined, but how terrible it will be for that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 Then they began to discuss among themselves which one of them was going to do this.
An Argument about Greatness
24 Now an argument sprang up among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he told them, “The kings of the unbelievers[af] lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But you are not to do so. On the contrary, the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the one who leads should become like the one who serves. 27 Because who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? It is the one at the table, isn’t it? But I’m among you as one who serves.
28 “You are the ones who have always stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred a kingdom[ag] on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit down on thrones to govern the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(O)
31 “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has asked permission to sift all of you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail. When you have come back, you must strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter[ah] told him, “Lord, I am ready to go even to prison and to die with you!”
34 But Jesus[ai] said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me.”
Be Prepared for Trouble
35 Then Jesus[aj] asked his disciples,[ak] “When I sent you out without a wallet, traveling bag, or sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?”
They replied, “Nothing at all.”
36 Then he told them, “But now whoever has a wallet must take it along, and his traveling bag, too. And the one who has no sword must sell his coat and buy one. 37 Because I tell you, what has been written about me must be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the criminals.’[al] Indeed, what is written about me must be fulfilled.”
38 So they said, “Lord, look! Here are two swords.”
He answered them, “Enough of that!”[am]
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives(P)
39 Then he left and went to the Mount of Olives, as usual. The disciples went with him. 40 When he arrived, he told them, “Keep on praying that you may not be tempted.” 41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”
43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like large drops of blood falling on the ground.[an]
45 When he got up from prayer, he went to the disciples and found them asleep from sorrow. 46 He asked them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and keep on praying that you may not be tempted.”
Jesus is Arrested(Q)
47 While Jesus[ao] was still speaking, a crowd arrived. The man called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them, and he came close to Jesus to kiss[ap] him. 48 But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When those who were around Jesus[aq] saw what was about to take place, they asked, “Lord, should we attack with our swords?” 50 Then one of them struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” So he touched the wounded man’s[ar] ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus told the high priests, the Temple police, and the elders, who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit?[as] 53 While I was with you day after day in the Temple, you didn’t lay a hand on me. But this is your hour, when darkness reigns!”[at]
Peter Denies Jesus(R)
54 Then they arrested him, led him away, and brought him to the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had taken their seats, Peter, too, sat down among them. 56 A servant girl saw him sitting by the fire, stared at him, and said, “This man was with him, too.”
57 But he denied it, “I don’t know him, woman!” he responded.
58 A little later, a man looked at him and said, “You are one of them, too.”
But Peter said, “Mister,[au] I am not!”
59 About an hour later, another man emphatically asserted, “This man was certainly with him, because he is a Galilean!”
60 But Peter said, “Mister,[av] I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61 Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered the word from the Lord, and how he had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 So he went outside and cried bitterly.
Jesus is Insulted and Beaten(S)
63 Then the men who were holding Jesus in custody began to make fun of him while they beat him. 64 They blindfolded him and asked him over and over again, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?” 65 And they kept insulting[aw] him in many other ways.
66 As soon as day came, the elders of the people, the high priests, and the scribes assembled and brought him before their Council.[ax] 67 They said, “If you are the Messiah,[ay] tell us.”
But he told them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me, 68 and if I ask you a question, you won’t answer me. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”[az]
70 Then they all asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”
He answered them, “You said it—I AM.”
71 “Why do we need any more testimony?” they asked. “We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!”
Jesus is Taken to Pilate(T)
23 Then the whole crowd got up and took him to Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, “We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he is the Messiah,[ba] a king.”
3 Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He answered, “You say so.”
4 Then Pilate told the high priests and crowds, “I do not find anything chargeable in this man.”
5 But they kept insisting, “He is stirring up the people with what he teaches all over Judea, from where he started in Galilee to this place.”
Jesus is Sent to Herod
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned with certainty that Jesus[bb] came from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now Herod was very glad to see Jesus, because he had been wanting to see him for a long time on account of what he had heard about him. He was also hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he continued to question him for a long time, but Jesus[bc] gave him no answer at all. 10 Meanwhile, the high priests and the scribes stood nearby and continued to accuse him vehemently. 11 Even[bd] Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus[be] and sent him back to Pilate. 12 So Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day. Before this they had been enemies.
Jesus is Sentenced to Death(U)
13 Then Pilate called the high priests, the other[bf] leaders, and the people together 14 and told them, “You brought this man to me as one who turns the people against the government. And here in your presence I have examined him and have found him ‘Not Guilty’ of the charges you make against him. 15 Neither does Herod, because he sent him back to us! Indeed, this man[bg] has done nothing to deserve death. 16 So I will punish him and let him go.”
17 Now he was obligated to release someone for them at the festival.[bh] 18 But they all shouted out together, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas for us!” 19 (This man had been put in prison for murder and for a revolt that had taken place in the city.) 20 But Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, so he appealed to them again, 21 but they continued to shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 Then he spoke to them a third time: “What has he done wrong? I have found nothing in him worthy of death. So I will punish him and let him go.” 23 But they kept pressing him with loud shouts, demanding that Jesus[bi] be crucified, and their shouts began to prevail.
24 Then Pilate pronounced his sentence that their demand should be carried out. 25 So he released the man who had been put in prison for revolt and murder—the man whose release[bj] they continued to demand—but he let them have their way with Jesus.[bk]
Jesus is Crucified(V)
26 As they led Jesus[bl] away, they grabbed Simon, a man from Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed him, including some women who kept mourning and wailing for him.
28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Women[bm] of Jerusalem, stop crying for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children, 29 because the time is surely coming when people[bn] will say, ‘How blessed are the women who couldn’t bear children and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then people[bo] will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’, and to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’[bp] 31 And if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with Jesus.[bq] 33 When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus kept saying, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they’re doing.”[br] Then they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.
35 Meanwhile, the people stood looking on. The leaders were mocking him by saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Messiah[bs] of God, the chosen one!”
36 The soldiers also made fun of Jesus[bt] by coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:[bu] “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 Now one of the criminals hanging there kept insulting[bv] him, “You are the Messiah,[bw] aren’t you? Save yourself…and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him, “Aren’t you afraid of God, since you are suffering the same penalty? 41 We have been condemned justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he went on to plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into[bx] your kingdom!”
43 Jesus[by] told him, “I tell you[bz] with certainty, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Jesus Dies on the Cross(W)
44 It was already about noon,[ca] and the whole land[cb] became dark until three in the afternoon[cc] 45 because the sun had stopped shining, and the curtain[cd] in the sanctuary was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”[ce] After he said this, he breathed his last.
47 When the centurion[cf] saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “This man certainly was righteous!” 48 When all the crowds who had come together for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they beat their chests and left. 49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, were standing at a distance watching these things.
Jesus is Buried(X)
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council,[cg] a good and righteous man— 51 he had not voted for their plan and action—from the Jewish town of Arimathea; and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb cut in the rock, in which no one had yet been laid.
54 It was the Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was just beginning. 55 So the women who had come with Jesus[ch] from Galilee, following close behind, saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they went back and prepared spices and perfumes, and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Jesus is Raised from the Dead(Y)
24 But at early dawn on the first day of the week,[ci] they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.[cj] 4 While they were puzzling over this, two men in dazzling robes suddenly stood beside them. 5 While the women remained terrified, bowing their faces to the ground, the men[ck] asked them, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is living? 6 He is not here, but has been raised.[cl] Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.’”
8 Then the women[cm] remembered Jesus’[cn] words. 9 They returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven disciples[co] and all the others. 10 The women who told the apostles about it were Mary Magdalene,[cp] Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some[cq] others. 11 But what they said seemed nonsense to them, so they did not believe them. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. He stooped down and saw only the linen cloths. Then he went home, wondering about what had happened.[cr]
Jesus Meets Two Disciples(Z)
13 On the same day, two of Jesus’ followers[cs] were walking to a village called Emmaus, about 60 stadia[ct] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about all these things that had taken place. 15 While they were discussing and analyzing what had happened,[cu] Jesus himself approached and began to walk with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing with each other as you’re walking along?” They stood still and looked gloomy.
18 The one whose name was Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know what happened there in the past few days?”
19 He asked them, “What things?”
They answered him, “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,[cv] who was a prophet, mighty in what he said and did before God and all the people, 20 and how our high priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and had him crucified. 21 But we kept hoping that he would be the one to redeem[cw] Israel. What is more, this is now the third day since these things occurred. 22 Even some of our women have startled us by what they told us.[cx] They were at the tomb early this morning 23 and didn’t find his body there, so they came back and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who were saying that he was alive. 24 Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. However, they didn’t see him.”
25 Then Jesus[cy] told them, “O, how foolish you are! How slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 The Messiah[cz] had to suffer these things and then enter his glory, didn’t he?” 27 Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them all the passages of Scripture about himself.
28 As they came near the village where the two men[da] were headed, Jesus[db] acted as though he were going farther. 29 But they strongly urged him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the daylight is nearly gone.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 While he was at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it in pieces, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they knew who he was. And he vanished from them.
32 Then they asked each other, “Our hearts kept burning within us[dc] as he was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us, didn’t they?”
33 They got up right away, went back to Jerusalem, and found the eleven disciples[dd] and their companions all together. 34 They kept saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then the two men[de] began to tell what had happened on the road and how they had recognized him when he broke the bread in pieces.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples(AA)
36 While they were all talking about this, Jesus[df] himself stood among them and told them, “Peace be with you.”[dg]
37 They were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. 38 But Jesus[dh] told them, “What’s frightening you? And why are you doubting? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, because it’s really me. Touch me and look at me, because a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.[di] 41 Even though they were still skeptical due to their joy and astonishment, Jesus[dj] asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 Then he told them, “These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds so that they might understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is how it is written: the Messiah[dk] was to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and then repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am sending to you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus is Taken up to Heaven(AB)
50 Later, he led them out as far as Bethany, lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.[dl] 52 They worshipped him and[dm] returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 They were continually in the Temple, blessing[dn] God.[do]
The Word and Creation
1 In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.[dp] 5 And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.[dq]
John’s Witness to the Word
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. 8 John[dr] was not the light, but he came[ds] to testify about the light. 9 This[dt] was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.[du] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him.
Responses to the Word
11 He came to his own creation,[dv] yet his own people did not receive him. 12 However, to all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God’s children, 13 who were born, not merely in a genetic sense,[dw] nor from lust,[dx] nor from man’s desire, but from the will of[dy] God.
The Word Becomes Human
14 The Word became flesh and lived[dz] among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s uniquely existing Son,[ea] who is full of grace and truth. 15 John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’” 16 We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance,[eb] 17 because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.[ec] 18 No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God,[ed] who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.
The Testimony of John the Baptist(AC)
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[ee] sent priests and descendants of Levi to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He spoke openly and, remaining true to himself,[ef] admitted, “I am not the Messiah.”[eg]
21 So they asked him, “Well then, are you Elijah?”
John[eh] said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 “Who are you?” they asked him. “We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He replied, “I am
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those men[ek] had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah,[el] or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I am baptizing with[em] water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This happened in Bethany[en] on the other side[eo] of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day, John[ep] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks above me, because he existed before me.’ 31 I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with[eq] water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 John also testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with[er] water told me, ‘The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with[es] the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son[et] of God.”
The First Disciples
35 The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36 As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38 But when Jesus turned around and saw them following, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They asked him, “Rabbi,” (which is translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 He told them, “Come and see!” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.[eu]
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.[ev] 41 The first thing Andrew[ew] did was to find his brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Anointed One!”[ex] (which is translated “Messiah”).[ey]
42 He led Simon[ez] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, “You are Simon, John’s son.[fa] You will be called Cephas!”[fb] (which is translated “Peter”).[fc]
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathaniel
43 The next day, Jesus decided to go away to Galilee, where he found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the man about whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote—Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 Nathaniel asked him, “From Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?”
Philip told him, “Come and see!”
47 Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said about him, “Look, a genuine Israeli, in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathaniel asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathaniel replied to him, “Rabbi,[fd] you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus told him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” 51 Then he told him, “Truly, I tell all of you[fe] emphatically, you will see heaven standing open and the angels of God going up and coming down to the Son of Man.”
Jesus Changes Water into Wine
2 On the third day of that week[ff] there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told him, “They don’t have any more wine.”
4 “How does that concern us, dear lady?”[fg] Jesus asked her. “My time hasn’t come yet.”
5 His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now standing there were six stone water jars used for the Jewish rites of purification, each one holding from two to three measures.[fh] 7 Jesus told the servants,[fi] “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the banquet.” So they did.
9 When the man in charge of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine (without knowing where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he[fj] called for the bridegroom 10 and told him, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and the cheap kind when people[fk] are drunk. But you have kept the best wine until now!” 11 Jesus did this, the first[fl] of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this, Jesus[fm] went down to Capernaum—he, his mother, his brothers, and his disciples—and they remained there for a few days.
Confrontation in the Temple over Money(AD)
13 The Jewish Passover was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as moneychangers sitting at their tables. 15 After making a whip out of cords, he drove all of them out of the Temple, including the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the moneychangers and knocked over their tables.
16 Then he told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[fn]
18 Then the Jewish leaders[fo] asked him, “What sign can you show us as authority for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will rebuild it.”
20 The Jewish leaders[fp] said, “This sanctuary has been under construction for 46 years, and you’re going to rebuild it in three days?” 21 But the sanctuary he was speaking about was his own body. 22 After he had been raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. So they believed the Scripture and the statement that Jesus had made.[fq]
Jesus Knows All People
23 While Jesus[fr] was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many people believed in him[fs] because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and didn’t need anyone to tell him what people were like, because he himself knew what was in every person.[ft]
Jesus Talks with Nicodemus
3 Now there was a man from the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, whose name was Nicodemus. 2 He came to Jesus[fu] at night and told him, “Rabbi,[fv] we know that you have come from God as a teacher, because no one can perform these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus replied to him, “Truly, I tell you[fw] emphatically, unless a person is born from above[fx] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus asked him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He can’t go back into his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell you[fy] emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.[fz] 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be astonished that I told you, ‘All of you must be born from above.’[ga] 8 The wind[gb] blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. That’s the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus asked him, “How can that be?”
10 Jesus answered him, “You’re the teacher of Israel, and you can’t understand this? 11 Truly, I tell you[gc] emphatically, we know what we’re talking about, and we testify about what we’ve seen. Yet you people[gd] do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you people[ge] about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven.[gf] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him would have eternal life.[gg]
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his uniquely existing Son so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. 17 Because God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world would be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s uniquely existing Son. 19 And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. 20 Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed.[gh] 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may become evident that his actions have God’s approval.”[gi]
John the Baptist Talks about Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside. He spent some time there with them and began baptizing. 23 John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People[gj] kept coming and were being baptized, 24 since John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Then a controversy about ritual purification sprang up between a certain Jew[gk] and John’s disciples, 26 so they went to John and told him, “Rabbi,[gl] the man who was with you on the other side[gm] of the Jordan, the one about whom you testified—look, he’s baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
27 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my[gn] witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,[go] but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 It is the bridegroom who gets the bride, yet the bridegroom’s friend, who merely[gp] stands by and listens for him, is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That’s why this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must become more important, but I must become less important.”
The One who Comes from Above
31 The one who comes from above is superior to everything. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.[gq] The one who comes from heaven is superior to everything. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 The person who has accepted his testimony has acknowledged that God is truthful.[gr] 34 The one whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God[gs] does not give the Spirit in limited measure to him.[gt] 35 The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
Jesus Meets a Samaritan Woman
4 Now when Jesus[gu] realized that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although it was not Jesus who did the baptizing but his disciples— 3 he left Judea and went back to Galilee. 4 Now it was necessary for him to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s Well was also there, and Jesus, tired out by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.[gv]
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus told her, “Please give me a drink,” 8 since his disciples had gone off into town to buy food.
9 The Samaritan woman asked him, “How can you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” Because Jews do not have anything to do with Samaritans.[gw]
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Please give me a drink,’ you would have been the one to ask him, and he would have given you living water.”
11 The woman[gx] told him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this living water? 12 You’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it, along with his sons and his flocks, are you?”
13 Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never become thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become a well of water for him, springing up to eternal life.”
15 The woman told him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I won’t get thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go and call your husband, and come back here.”
17 The woman answered him, “I don’t have a husband.”
Jesus told her, “You are quite right in saying, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ 18 because you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
19 The woman told him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet! 20 Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain. But you Jews[gy] say that the place where people should worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 Jesus told her, “Believe me, dear lady,[gz] the hour is coming when you Samaritans[ha] will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You don’t know what you’re worshiping. We Jews[hb] know what we’re worshiping, because salvation comes from the Jews. 23 Yet the time is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit[hc] and truth. Indeed, the Father is looking for people like that to worship him. 24 God is spirit,[hd] and those who worship him must worship in spirit[he] and truth.”
25 The woman told him, “I know that the Anointed One[hf] is coming, who is being called ‘the Messiah’.[hg] When that person comes, he will explain everything.”
26 “I AM,” Jesus replied, “the one who is speaking to you.”
27 At this point his disciples arrived, and they were astonished that he was talking to a woman. Yet no one said, “What do you want from her?”[hh] or, “Why are you talking to her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to town. She told people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”[hi] 30 The people[hj] left the town and started on their way to him.
31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi,[hk] have something to eat.”
32 But he told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 So the disciples began to say to one another, “No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?”
34 Jesus told them, “My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work. 35 You say, don’t you, ‘In four more months the harvest will begin?’ Look, I tell you, open your eyes and observe that the fields are ready[hl] for harvesting now! 36 The one who harvests is already receiving his wages and gathering a crop for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who harvests may rejoice together. 37 In this respect the saying is true: ‘One person sows, and another person harvests.’[hm] 38 I have sent you to harvest what you have not worked for. Others have worked, and you have adopted their work as your own.”
39 Now many of the Samaritans of that town believed in Jesus[hn] because the woman had testified, “He told me everything I’ve ever done.”
40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus,[ho] they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there for two days. 41 And many more believed because of what he said. 42 They kept telling the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, because now we have heard him ourselves, and we know that he really is the Savior of the world.”
Jesus Heals an Official’s Son(AE)
43 Two days later, Jesus[hp] left for Galilee from there, 44 since Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen everything that he had done in Jerusalem during the festival and because they, too, had gone to the festival. 46 So Jesus[hq] returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. Meanwhile, in Capernaum there was a government official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him repeatedly to come down and heal his son, because he was about to die.
48 Jesus told him, “Unless you people[hr] see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
49 The official told him, “Sir,[hs] please come down before my little boy dies.”
50 Jesus told him, “Go home. Your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus told him and started back home.
51 While he was on his way, his servants met him and told him that his child[ht] was alive. 52 So he asked them at what hour he had begun to recover, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon.”[hu]
53 Then the father realized that this was the very hour when Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole family.
54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
The Healing at the Pool
5 Later on, there was another[hv] festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem is a pool called Bethesda[hw] in Hebrew. It has five colonnades, 3 and under these a large number of sick people were lying—blind, lame, or paralyzed—waiting for the movement of the water.[hx] 4 At certain times an angel of the Lord would go down into the pool and stir up the water, and whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.[hy]
5 One particular man was there who had been ill for 38 years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I’m trying to get there, someone else steps down ahead of me.”
8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 The man immediately became well, and he picked up his mat and started walking. Now that day was a Sabbath.
10 So the Jewish leaders[hz] told the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.
11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?”
13 But the one who had been healed did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away from the crowd in that place. 14 Later on, Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Look! You have become well. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went off and told the Jewish leaders[ia] that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 So the Jewish leaders[ib] began persecuting Jesus,[ic] because he kept doing such things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus[id] answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I, too, am working.” 18 So the Jewish leaders[ie] were trying all the harder to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.
The Authority of the Son
19 Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you[if] emphatically, the Son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing, What the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him even greater actions than these, so that you may be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to those he chooses. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all authority to judge to the Son, 23 so that everyone may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
24 “Truly, I tell all of you[ig] emphatically, whoever hears what I say and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has passed from death to life. 25 Truly, I tell all of you[ih] emphatically, the time approaches, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will live. 26 Just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 27 and he has given him authority to judge, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don’t be amazed at this, because the time is approaching when everyone in their graves will hear the Son of Man’s[ii] voice 29 and will come out—those who have done what is good to the resurrection that leads to[ij] life, and those who have practiced what is evil to the resurrection that ends in[ik] condemnation.[il] 30 I can do nothing on my own accord. I judge according to what I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
Jesus’ Greater Testimony
31 “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not trustworthy. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know[im] that the testimony he gives about me is true. 33 You have sent messengers[in] to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 I myself do not accept human testimony, but I am saying these things so that you may be saved. 35 That man John[io] was a lamp that burns and brightly shines, and for a while you were willing to rejoice in his light.
36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s, because the actions that the Father has given me to complete—the very actions that I am doing—testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37 Moreover, the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen what he looks like, 38 nor do you have his word at work[ip] in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he sent. 39 You examine the Scriptures carefully because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. Yet they testify about me. 40 But you are not willing to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept human praise. 42 I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. Yet if another man comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe when you accept each other’s praise and do not look for the praise that comes from the only God?[iq] 45 Do not suppose that I will be the one to accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope, 46 because if you believed Moses, you would believe me, since he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe my words?”
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