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After this, Jesus travelled around in Galilee. He would not travel around in Judea because the leaders of the Jews wanted to kill him.

Every year the Jews had a feast to remember the time when their fathers lived in tents in the desert. The time was near for that feast.

Jesus' brothers said to him, `Go away from here to Judea. Let your disciples also see the work you are doing.

When a person wants people to know about him, he does not hide what he is doing. If you are doing these big things, let the world see you.'

Even his brothers did not believe in Jesus.

Jesus said to them, `It is not yet the time for me to go. But you may go any time you want to.

The people of the world cannot hate you. But they hate me because I say what they do is wrong.

Go to the feast yourselves. I am not going to the feast until it is the right time for me to go.'

He said this to them and stayed in Galilee.

10 After his brothers went to the feast, Jesus went also. He did not go with the other people, but he went by himself.

11 The leaders of the Jews at the feast tried to find him. They said, `Where is he?'

12 People were talking among themselves about Jesus. Some said, `He is a good man.' Others said, `No. He is leading people to do wrong things.'

13 But they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, so no one talked about him out in the open.

14 When the feast was half finished, Jesus went to the temple and taught the people.

15 The Jews were very much surprised. `How can this man know books? He never went to school.'

16 Jesus answered the people, `I am not teaching you my teaching. It is the teaching of the one who sent me.

17 If any man wants to do what God wants him to do, he will know the teaching. He will know if it is God's teaching or if I am speaking from my own mind.

18 The person who speaks from his own mind only wants to be great himself. But the person whom God has sent wants to show that God is great. That person is true. He is not a bad man.

19 Did not Moses give you the law? Not one of you is keeping the law. Why are you trying to kill me?'

20 The people answered Jesus, `A bad spirit is in you! Who is trying to kill you?'

21 Jesus answered them, `I have done one thing. You are all surprised about it.

22 Moses gave you the law of circumcision. You obey the law, not because it came from Moses, but because it came from the fathers long ago. You circumcise a baby boy on the Sabbath day.

23 You do it on the Sabbath day so that you will not break the law of Moses. If you do that, then why are you angry with me because I healed a man on the Sabbath day?

24 Do not judge by what you see, but judge in the right way.'

25 Some people from Jerusalem said, `Is not this the person they are trying to kill?

26 See, he does not fear to speak and yet they say nothing to him! Do the rulers really know that this man is the Christ?

27 But we know where this man comes from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.'

28 Jesus was teaching in the temple. He spoke loudly saying, `You know me and you know where I come from. I have not come in my own power. The one who sent me is true. He is the one you do not know.

29 I know him because I came from him. He sent me.'

30 Then the people wanted to catch him. But no one put a hand on him. It was not yet the time for that.

31 Many of the people believed in Jesus. They said, `When Christ comes, will he do greater works than this man has done?'

32 The Pharisees heard what the people said about him. The chief priests and the Pharisees sent soldiers to catch him.

33 Jesus said, `I will stay with you a short time longer. Then I will go back to him who sent me.

34 You will look for me, but you will not find me. You will not be able to go to the place where I will be.'

35 The Jews said to one another, `Where will he go that we cannot find him? Will he go to our people who are living in other countries? Will he teach them?

36 What does he mean by this: "You will look for me and will not find me. You will not be able to go to the place where I will be"?'

37 The last day of the feast was a big day. On that day Jesus stood up and shouted, `If anyone is thirsty, he may come to me and drink.

38 If anyone believes in me, the holy writings say, "Rivers of water that give life will flow out of his heart." '

39 This is what Jesus meant: those who believe in him would receive the Spirit. At that time no one had received the Holy Spirit because Jesus had not yet been lifted up to heaven

40 When some of the people heard this they said, `Truly, this is the Prophet.'

41 Other people said, `This is the Christ.' But some said, `The Christ will not come from Galilee. Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

42 Do not the holy writings say that Christ will be of David's family? Will he not come from Bethlehem where David lived?'

43 The people did not all say the same thing about him.

44 Some of them wanted to catch Jesus, but no one put hands on him.

45 The soldiers came back to the chief priests and the Pharisees. They asked the soldiers, `Why did you not bring him?'

46 The soldiers replied, `No person has ever talked like he does!'

47 The Pharisees said, `Has he fooled you also?

48 None of the rulers and none of the Pharisees have believed on him, have they?

49 These poor people do not know the law. They will die!'

50 Nicodemus, the man who came to Jesus by night, was one of them.

51 He said, `Is it right to judge any man by our law before we hear him and learn what he has done?'

52 They answered him, `Are you from Galilee also? Study what is written. You will see that no prophet is to come from Galilee.'

53 Then every one of them went home.

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.”