New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
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Jesus went across to Mount Olives,
2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.
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but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them,
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The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone
4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.
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and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery.
5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
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Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?"
6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
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They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
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They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone."
8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
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Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.
9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
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Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone.
10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
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Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?"
11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."]
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"No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin." You're Missing God in All This
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
12
Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in."
13 Then the Pharisees said to him, "You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid."
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The Pharisees objected, "All we have is your word on this. We need more than this to go on."
14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
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Jesus replied, "You're right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I've come from and where I go next. You don't know where I'm from or where I'm headed.
15 You judge by human standards; I judge no one.
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You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don't make judgments like that.
16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
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But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn't make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.
17 In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid.
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That fulfills the conditions set down in God's Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses.
18 I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf."
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And that is what you have: You have my word and you have the word of the Father who sent me."
19 Then they said to him, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also."
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They said, "Where is this so-called Father of yours?" Jesus said, "You're looking right at me and you don't see me. How do you expect to see the Father? If you knew me, you would at the same time know the Father."
20 He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
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He gave this speech in the Treasury while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him because his time wasn't yet up.
21 Again he said to them, "I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."
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Then he went over the same ground again. "I'm leaving and you are going to look for me, but you're missing God in this and are headed for a dead end. There is no way you can come with me."
22 Then the Jews said, "Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, "Where I am going, you cannot come'?"
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The Jews said, "So, is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by 'You can't come with me'?"
23 He said to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
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Jesus said, "You're tied down to the mundane; I'm in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I'm living on other terms.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he."
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I told you that you were missing God in all this. You're at a dead end. If you won't believe I am who I say I am, you're at the dead end of sins. You're missing God in your lives."
25 They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Why do I speak to you at all?
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They said to him, "Just who are you anyway?"
26 I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him."
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I have so many things to say that concern you, judgments to make that affect you, but if you don't accept the trustworthiness of the One who commanded my words and acts, none of it matters. That is who you are questioning - not me but the One who sent me."
27 They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father.
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They still didn't get it, didn't realize that he was referring to the Father.
28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.
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So Jesus tried again. "When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am - that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me.
29 And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him."
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The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn't abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him."
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
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When he put it in these terms, many people decided to believe.
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
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Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure.
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
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Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."
33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free'?"
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Surprised, they said, "But we're descendants of Abraham. We've never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, 'The truth will free you'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
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Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave.
35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever.
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A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house.
36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
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So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.
37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word.
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I know you are Abraham's descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn't yet penetrated your thick skulls.
38 I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father."
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I'm talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father."
39 They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did,
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They were indignant. "Our father is Abraham!"
40 but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
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And yet here you are trying to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth he got straight from God! Abraham never did that sort of thing.
41 You are indeed doing what your father does." They said to him, "We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself."
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You persist in repeating the works of your father." They said, "We're not bastards. We have a legitimate father: the one and only God."
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.
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"If God was your father," said Jesus, "you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn't come on my own. He sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word.
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Why can't you understand one word I say? Here's why: You can't handle it.
44 You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
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You're from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn't stand the truth because there wasn't a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
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I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me.
46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
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Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me?
47 Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."
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Anyone on God's side listens to God's words. This is why you're not listening - because you're not on God's side."
48 The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"
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The Jews then said, "That clinches it. We were right all along when we called you a Samaritan and said you were crazy - demon-possessed!"
49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
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Jesus said, "I'm not crazy. I simply honor my Father, while you dishonor me.
50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge.
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I am not trying to get anything for myself. God intends something gloriously grand here and is making the decisions that will bring it about.
51 Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death."
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I say this with absolute confidence. If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to look death in the face."
52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, "Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
52
At this point the Jews said, "Now we know you're crazy. Abraham died. The prophets died. And you show up saying, 'If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to face death, not even a taste.'
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?"
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Are you greater than Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you think you are!"
54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, "He is our God,'
54
Jesus said, "If I turned the spotlight on myself, it wouldn't amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor.
55 though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word.
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You haven't recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn't know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says.
56 Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad."
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Abraham - your 'father' - with jubilant faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered."
57 Then the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
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The Jews said, "You're not even fifty years old - and Abraham saw you?"
58 Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am."
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"Believe me," said Jesus, "I am who I am long before Abraham was anything."
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
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That did it - pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.