John 8:28-59 (New American Standard)

28 So Jesus said, "When you ¹lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that ^a2I am He, and ³I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; ⁴He ^bhas not left Me alone, for ⁵I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." 30 As He spoke these things, ⁶many came to believe in Him.

The Truth Will Make You Free

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "⁷If you continue in My word, then you are truly ⁸disciples of Mine ; 32 and ⁹you will know the truth, and ¹⁰the truth will make you free." 33 They answered Him, "¹¹We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone ; how is it that You say, 'You will become free '?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, ¹²everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 "¹³The slave does not remain in the house forever ; ¹⁴the son does remain forever. 36 "So if the Son ¹⁵makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 "I know that you are ¹⁶Abraham's descendants ; yet ¹⁷you seek to kill Me, because My word ^chas no place in you. 38 "I speak the things which I have seen ^dwith My Father ; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ¹⁸your father." 39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is ¹⁹our father." Jesus said to them, "²⁰If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 "But as it is, ²¹you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ²²told you the truth, which I heard from God ; this Abraham did not do. 41 "You are doing the deeds of ²³your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication ; ²⁴we have one Father : God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, ²⁵you would love Me, ²⁶for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have ²⁷not even come on My own initiative, but ^e28He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand ^f29what I am saying ? It is because you cannot ³⁰hear My word. 44 "³¹You are of ³²your father the devil, and ³³you want to do the desires of your father. ³⁴He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ³⁵there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks ^ga lie, he ³⁶speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of ^hlies. 45 "But because ³⁷I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 "Which one of you convicts Me of sin ? If ³⁸I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 "³⁹He who is of God hears the words of God ; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." 48 ⁴⁰The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a ⁴¹Samaritan and ⁴²have a demon ?" 49 Jesus answered, "I do not ⁴³have a demon ; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 "But ⁴⁴I do not seek My glory ; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone ⁴⁵keeps My word he will never ⁴⁶see death." 52 ⁴⁷The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You ⁴⁸have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone ⁴⁹keeps My word, he will never ⁵⁰taste of death.' 53 "Surely You ⁵¹are not greater than our father Abraham, who died ? The prophets died too ; whom do You make Yourself out to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "⁵²If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing ; ⁵³it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God '; 55 and ⁵⁴you have not come to know Him, ⁵⁵but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ⁵⁶a liar like you, ⁵⁷but I do know Him and ⁵⁸keep His word. 56 "⁵⁹Your father Abraham ⁶⁰rejoiced ⁱto see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 ⁶¹So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham ?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham ^jwas born, ⁶²I am." 59 Therefore they ⁶³picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^k64hid Himself and went out of the temple.