John 5:1-47 (New American Standard)

The Healing at Bethesda

1 After these things there was ¹a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by ²the sheep gate a pool, which is called ³in ^aHebrew ^bBethesda, having five porticoes. 3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [^cwaiting for the moving of the waters ; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water ; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5 A man was there who had been ^dill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well ?" 7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when ⁴the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 8 Jesus said to him, "⁵Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. ⁶Now it was the Sabbath on that day. 10 So ⁷the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and ⁸it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." 11 But he answered them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Pick up your pallet and walk.'" 12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your pallet and walk '?" 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well ; do not ⁹sin anymore, ¹⁰so that nothing worse happens to you." 15 The man went away, and told ¹¹the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason ¹²the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."

Jesus' Equality with God

18 For this reason therefore ¹³the Jews ¹⁴were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, ¹⁵making Himself equal with God. 19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, ¹⁶the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing ; for whatever ^ethe Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 "¹⁷For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing ; and the Father will show Him ¹⁸greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 "For just as the Father raises the dead and ¹⁹gives them life, even so ²⁰the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but ²¹He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. ²²He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and ²³believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and ²⁴does not come into judgment, but has ²⁵passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, ²⁶an hour is coming and now is, when ²⁷the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who ²⁸hear will live. 26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He ²⁹gave to the Son also to have life in Himself ; 27 and He gave Him authority to ³⁰execute judgment, because He is ^fthe Son of Man. 28 "Do not marvel at this ; for ³¹an hour is coming, in which ³²all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth ; ³³those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. 30 "³⁴I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge ; and ³⁵My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but ³⁶the will of Him who sent Me. 31 "³⁷If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not ^gtrue. 32 "There is ³⁸another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Witness of John

33 "You have sent to John, and he ³⁹has testified to the truth. 34 "But ⁴⁰the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 "He was ⁴¹the lamp that was burning and was shining and you ⁴²were willing to rejoice for ^ha while in his light.

Witness of Works

36 "But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John ; for ⁴³the works which the Father has given Me ⁴⁴to accomplish -the very works that I do -testify about Me, that the Father ⁴⁵has sent Me.

Witness of the Father

37 "And the Father who sent Me, ⁴⁶He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 "You do not have ⁴⁷His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He ⁴⁸sent.

Witness of the Scripture

39 "ⁱ⁴⁹You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life ; it is ⁵⁰these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 "⁵¹I do not receive glory from men ; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; ⁵²if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 "How can you believe, when you ⁵³receive ^jglory from one another and you do not seek ⁵⁴the ^kglory that is from ⁵⁵the one and only God ? 45 "Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father ; the one who accuses you is ⁵⁶Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for ⁵⁷he wrote about Me. 47 "But ⁵⁸if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words ?"