John 8:12-59

I Am the Light of the World

12 ¹Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ²"I am the light of the world. Whoever ³follows me will not ⁴walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

13 So the Pharisees said to him, ⁵"You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true."

14 Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about myself, ⁶my testimony is true, for I know ⁷where I came from and ⁸where I am going, but ⁹you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

15 ¹⁰You judge according to the flesh; ¹¹I judge no one.

16 Yet even if I do judge, ¹²my judgment is true, for ¹³it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father^[a] who sent me.

17 ¹⁴In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.

18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and ¹⁵the Father who sent me bears witness about me."

19 They said to him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, ¹⁶"You know neither me nor my Father. ¹⁷If you knew me, you would know my Father also."

20 These words he spoke in ¹⁸the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but ¹⁹no one arrested him, because ²⁰his hour had not yet come.

21 So he said to them again, ²¹"I am going away, and ²²you will seek me, and ²³you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."

22 So the Jews said, ²⁴"Will he kill himself, since he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"

23 He said to them, ²⁵"You are from below; I am from above. ²⁶You are of this world; ²⁷I am not of this world.

24 I told you that you ²⁸would die in your sins, for ²⁹unless you believe that ³⁰I am he you will die in your sins."

25 So they said to him, ³¹"Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but ³²he who sent me is true, and I declare ³³to the world ³⁴what I have heard from him."

27 They did not understand that ³⁵he had been speaking to them about the Father.

28 So Jesus said to them, "When you have ³⁶lifted up the Son of Man, ³⁷then you will know that ³⁸I am he, and that ³⁹I do nothing on my own authority, but ⁴⁰speak just as the Father taught me.

29 And ⁴¹he who sent me is with me. ⁴²He has not left me alone, for ⁴³I always do the things that are pleasing to him."

30 As he was saying these things, ⁴⁴many believed in him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ⁴⁵"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

32 and you will ⁴⁶know the truth, and the truth ⁴⁷will set you free."

33 They answered him, ⁴⁸"We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, ⁴⁹everyone who commits sin is a slave^[b] to sin.

35 ⁵⁰The slave does not remain in the house forever; ⁵¹the son remains forever.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ⁵²you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

38 ⁵³I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ⁵⁴from your father."

You Are of Your Father the Devil

39 They answered him, ⁵⁵"Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, ⁵⁶"If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

40 but now ⁵⁷you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ⁵⁸that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

41 You are doing the works your father did." They said to him, ⁵⁹"We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ⁶⁰one Father--even God."

42 Jesus said to them, ⁶¹"If God were your Father, you would love me, for ⁶²I came from God and ⁶³I am here. ⁶⁴I came not of my own accord, but ⁶⁵he sent me.

43 ⁶⁶Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ⁶⁷bear to hear my word.

44 ⁶⁸You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ⁶⁹He was a murderer from the beginning, and ⁷⁰has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. ⁷¹When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

47 ⁷²Whoever is of God hears the words of God. ⁷³The reason why you do not hear them is that ⁷⁴you are not of God."

Before Abraham Was, I Am

48 The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ⁷⁵have a demon?"

49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but ⁷⁶I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

50 Yet ⁷⁷I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.

51 Truly, truly, ⁷⁸I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ⁷⁹see death."

52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! ⁸⁰Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet ⁸¹you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never ⁸²taste death.'

53 ⁸³Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?"

54 Jesus answered, ⁸⁴"If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. ⁸⁵It is my Father who glorifies me, ⁸⁶of whom you say, 'He is our God.'^[c]

55 But ⁸⁷you have not known him. ⁸⁸I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ⁸⁹a liar ⁹⁰like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.

56 ⁹¹Your father Abraham ⁹²rejoiced ⁹³that he would see my day. ⁹⁴He saw it and was glad."

57 So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"^[d]

58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ⁹⁵I am."

59 So ⁹⁶they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Cross References

• 1. John 7:37, 38
• 2. [Psalms 36:9; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Malachi 4:2]; See John 1:4, 9
• 3. John 12:26; John 21:19
• 4. See John 12:35
• 5. John 5:31
• 6. [Revelation 3:14]
• 7. John 13:3; John 16:28
• 8. ver. 21; John 7:33
• 9. [John 7:28; John 9:29]
• 10. John 7:24; 1 Samuel 16:7; [Job 10:4]
• 11. John 12:47; [ver. 11]
• 12. John 5:30
• 13. ver. 29; John 16:32
• 14. See Numbers 35:30
• 15. John 5:37
• 16. ver. 55; John 16:3
• 17. John 14:7
• 18. See Matthew 27:6
• 19. John 7:30
• 20. John 7:8
• 21. John 14:28; [John 14:2, 3; John 16:7]
• 22. See John 7:34
• 23. ver. 24; Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 33:8
• 24. [John 7:35]
• 25. [ver. 44; John 3:31]
• 26. 1 John 4:5
• 27. John 17:14, 16
• 28. ver. 21
• 29. John 16:9
• 30. Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8
• 31. [John 1:19]
• 32. John 3:33; John 7:28; Romans 3:4
• 33. [John 18:20]
• 34. ver. 40; John 15:15; [John 3:32; Revelation 1:1]
• 35. ver. 18, 26
• 36. John 3:14; John 12:32, 34
• 37. [John 16:8-11]
• 38. See ver. 24
• 39. See John 5:30
• 40. See John 7:16
• 41. ver. 16; John 16:32; Acts 10:38; See John 10:38
• 42. ver. 16; John 16:32; Acts 10:38; See John 10:38
• 43. John 4:34; John 5:30; John 6:38; [1 John 3:22]
• 44. See John 7:31
• 45. John 15:7, 8; 2 John 9
• 46. 2 John 1
• 47. ver. 36; Romans 6:18, 22; Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 7:22; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1, 13; James 1:25; James 2:12; 1 Peter 2:16
• 48. ver. 37, 39; Matthew 3:9; [Luke 19:9; Romans 9:7]
• 49. Romans 6:16-20; Titus 3:3; 2 Peter 2:19
• 50. Genesis 21:10; Galatians 4:30
• 51. Luke 15:31
• 52. ver. 40; See John 7:1
• 53. John 3:32; John 5:19; John 6:46
• 54. ver. 41, 44
• 55. ver. 33, 56
• 56. [Galatians 3:7, 9]
• 57. ver. 37
• 58. ver. 26
• 59. [Hosea 2:4]
• 60. Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8; [ver. 47]
• 61. [1 John 5:1]
• 62. 1 John 5:20; [Hebrews 10:9]
• 63. John 16:28; John 17:8
• 64. John 7:28
• 65. See John 3:17
• 66. John 7:17
• 67. Jeremiah 6:10; [1 Corinthians 2:14]
• 68. 1 John 3:8, 12; [ver. 23]; See Matthew 13:38
• 69. Genesis 4:8, 9; 1 John 3:12, 15; [Romans 5:12]
• 70. [1 John 2:4]
• 71. Genesis 3:4; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9
• 72. [John 18:37; 1 John 4:6]
• 73. [John 10:26]
• 74. [ver. 41]
• 75. See John 7:20
• 76. John 5:23; [John 7:18]
• 77. ver. 54; John 5:41
• 78. John 5:24; John 11:26
• 79. See Luke 2:26
• 80. [Zechariah 1:5]
• 81. ver. 51
• 82. Matthew 16:28; Hebrews 2:9
• 83. [John 4:12]
• 84. ver. 50
• 85. John 13:32; John 17:1; Acts 3:13; Hebrews 5:5; 2 Peter 1:17
• 86. ver. 41
• 87. ver. 19; John 7:28
• 88. John 7:29; See Matthew 11:27
• 89. 1 John 1:6
• 90. ver. 44
• 91. ver. 39
• 92. See Matthew 13:17
• 93. Luke 17:22
• 94. [Hebrews 11:13]
• 95. See Exodus 3:14
• 96. John 10:31

Footnotes

• [a]. Some manuscripts he
• [b]. Greek bondservant; also verse 35
• [c]. Some manuscripts your God
• [d]. Some manuscripts has Abraham seen you?