John 8

¹²Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: "I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

¹³So the Pharisees said to him, "You are testifying about yourself; your testimony is not valid."

¹⁴Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. ¹⁶Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone—rather, I and the Father who sent me. ¹⁷And it is written in your own law that the testimony of two persons is valid. ¹⁸I am the one testifying about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me."

¹⁹So they were saying to him, "Where is your father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father as well." ²⁰He spoke these words in the treasury while teaching in the temple. And no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

²¹So he said to them again, "I am going away, and you will search for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."

²²So the Judeans were saying, "Surely he's not going to kill himself, is he? Because he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'"

²³And he was saying to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are from this world; I am not from this world. ²⁴I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins."

²⁵So they were saying to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Why am I even speaking to you at all? ²⁶I have many things to say about you and to judge. But the one who sent me is true, and what I have heard from him, these things I speak into the world." ²⁷They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father.

²⁸So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but I speak these things just as the Father taught me. ²⁹And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him." ³⁰As he was speaking these things, many believed in him.

³¹So Jesus was saying to the Judeans who had believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

³³They answered him, "We are Abraham's offspring and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?"

³⁴Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I tell you: everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵Now the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free.

³⁷I know that you are Abraham's offspring. Yet you are seeking to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸I speak what I have seen with the Father; so also you do what you have heard from your father."

³⁹They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus says to them, "If you are Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. ⁴⁰But now you are seeking to kill me—a man who has spoken to you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. ⁴¹You are doing the works of your father." They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—God."

⁴²Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came forth from God and have arrived here. For I have not come on my own authority, but that one sent me. ⁴³Why do you not understand my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. ⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of it. ⁴⁵But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶Which of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷The one who is from God hears the words of God. For this reason you do not hear: because you are not from God."

⁴⁸The Judeans answered and said to him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"

⁴⁹Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and judges. ⁵¹Truly, truly, I tell you: if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death forever."

⁵²The Judeans said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death forever.' ⁵³You are not greater than our father Abraham, are you? He died, and the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?"

⁵⁴Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me—the one about whom you say, 'He is our God.' ⁵⁵Yet you have not known him, but I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. ⁵⁶Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day, and he saw it and was glad."

⁵⁷So the Judeans said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?"

⁵⁸Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you: before Abraham came into being, I am."

⁵⁹So they picked up stones to throw at them. But Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple.