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After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee. For He did not wish to walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill Him.

Now the Jews’ feast of the Tabernacles was at hand.

Therefore, His brothers said to Him, “Leave here, and go into Judea, so that Your disciples may see Your works that You do.

“For no one does anything secretly when seeking to be famous. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”

For, as yet, His brothers did not believe in Him.

Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come. But your time is always ready.

“The world cannot hate you. But it hates Me, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

“You go up to the feast. I will not go up to this feast yet. For My time is not yet fulfilled.”

He said these things to them and remained in Galilee.

10 But as soon as His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast; not openly, but, as it were, privately.

11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?”

12 And there was much murmuring about Him among the people. Some said, “He is a good Man.” Others said, “No! But He deceives the people!”

13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

14 Now, when half the feast was done, Jesus went up into the Temple and taught.

15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know the Scriptures, seeing that He never learned!?”

16 Jesus answered them, and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me.

17 “If anyone will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be from God, or whether I speak from myself.

18 “Whoever speaks from himself, seeks his own glory. But whoever seeks the glory of the One who sent him, he is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

19 “Did not Moses give you a Law, and yet none of you keeps the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”

20 The people answered, and said, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?”

21 Jesus answered, and said to them, “I have done one work, and you all marvel.

22 “Therefore, Moses gave circumcision to you - not because it is of Moses, but of the Fathers - and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.

23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I have made a man entirely whole on the Sabbath?

24 “Do not judge according to the appearance. But, judge righteous judgment.”

25 Then some of them of Jerusalem said, “Is this not He Whom they seek to kill?

26 “And behold, He speaks openly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers really know that this is truly the Christ?

27 “However, we know from where this Man is. But when the Christ comes, no one shall know from where He is.”

28 Then Jesus cried in the Temple as He taught, saying, “You both know Me and know from where I am! Yet I have not come of Myself! And He who sent Me is true (Whom you do not know)!

29 “But I know Him! For I am of Him, and He has sent Me!”

30 Then they sought to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

31 Now many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do any more miracles than this Man has done?”

32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured these things about Him. And the Pharisees, and chief priests, sent officers to take Him.

33 Then Jesus said to them, “I am still with you a little while, and then I go to the One who sent Me.

34 “You shall seek Me and shall not find Me. And where I am, you cannot come.”

35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where will He go, that we shall not find Him? Will He go to those who are dispersed among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?

36 “What saying is this that He said, ‘You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me’? And, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

37 Now, on the last day (the great day) of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink!

38 “The one who believes in Me, as says the Scripture, ‘Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water’!”

39 (He spoke this about the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were about to receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

40 So, many of the people, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet!”

41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” And some said, “But shall the Christ come out of Galilee?

42 “Does not the Scripture say that the Christ shall come from the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

43 So there was dissension among the people because of Him.

44 And some of them would have taken Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”

46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man speaks.”

47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?!

48 “Do any of the rulers, or any of the Pharisees, believe in Him?

49 “But this people, who do not know the Law, are cursed!”

50 Nicodemus said to them (he who came to Jesus by night, and was one of them),

51 “Does our Law judge a man before it hears him, and knows what he has done?”

52 They answered, and said to him, “Aren’t you also from Galilee? Search and see that no Prophet arises out of Galilee.

53 And each went to his own house.

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders(A) there were looking for a way to kill him.(B) But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles(C) was near, Jesus’ brothers(D) said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.(E)

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time(F) is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me(G) because I testify that its works are evil.(H) You go to the festival. I am not[b] going up to this festival, because my time(I) has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus(J) and asking, “Where is he?”

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”(K) 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.(L)

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.(M) 15 The Jews(N) there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning(O) without having been taught?”(P)

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.(Q) 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out(R) whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,(S) but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law?(T) Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”(U)

20 “You are demon-possessed,”(V) the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle,(W) and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision(X) (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs),(Y) you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”(Z)

Division Over Who Jesus Is

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?(AA) 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities(AB) really concluded that he is the Messiah?(AC) 27 But we know where this man is from;(AD) when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,(AE) cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.(AF) I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.(AG) You do not know him, 29 but I know him(AH) because I am from him and he sent me.”(AI)

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,(AJ) because his hour had not yet come.(AK) 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him.(AL) They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs(AM) than this man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time,(AN) and then I am going to the one who sent me.(AO) 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”(AP)

35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered(AQ) among the Greeks,(AR) and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”(AS)

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival,(AT) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.(AU) 38 Whoever believes(AV) in me, as Scripture has said,(AW) rivers of living water(AX) will flow from within them.”[c](AY) 39 By this he meant the Spirit,(AZ) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(BA) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.(BB)

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”(BC)

41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?(BD) 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants(BE) and from Bethlehem,(BF) the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided(BG) because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.(BH)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”(BI) the guards replied.

47 “You mean he has deceived you also?”(BJ) the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?(BK) 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

50 Nicodemus,(BL) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”(BM)


[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

53 Then they all went home,

Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 Some manuscripts not have authority
  2. John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet
  3. John 7:38 Or me. And let anyone drink 38 who believes in me.” As Scripture has said, “Out of him (or them) will flow rivers of living water.”