The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth.
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As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"
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And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? ”
3 Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.
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Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
4 We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over.
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We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
5 For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."
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As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. ”
6 He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes,
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Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud
7 and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed - and saw.
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and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”(which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
8 Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn't this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?"
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The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg? ”
9 Others said, "It's him all right!" But others objected, "It's not the same man at all. It just looks like him." He said, "It's me, the very one."
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Some said, “It is he. ” Others said, “No, but he is like him. ” He kept saying, “I am the man. ”
10 They said, "How did your eyes get opened?"
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So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened? ”
11 "A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' I did what he said. When I washed, I saw."
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He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash. ’So I went and washed and received my sight. ”
12 "So where is he?" "I don't know."
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They said to him, “Where is he? ” He said, “I do not know. ”
13 They marched the man to the Pharisees.
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They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
14 This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath.
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Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see."
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So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. ”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks.
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Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. ” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs? ” And there was a division among them.
17 They came back at the blind man, "You're the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?" He said, "He is a prophet."
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So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes? ” He said, “He is a prophet. ”
18 The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight.
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The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight
19 They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?"
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and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? ”
20 His parents said, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind.
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His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
21 But we don't know how he came to see - haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself."
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But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself. ”
22 (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place.
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(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. )
23 That's why his parents said, "Ask him. He's a grown man.")
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Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him. ”
24 They called the man back a second time - the man who had been blind - and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor."
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So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. ”
25 He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."
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He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. ”
26 They said, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
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They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? ”
27 "I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?"
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He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? ”
28 With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we're disciples of Moses.
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And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from."
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We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. ”
30 The man replied, "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes!
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The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
31 It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will.
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We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
32 That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of - ever.
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Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.
33 If this man didn't come from God, he wouldn't be able to do anything."
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If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. ”
34 They said, "You're nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!" Then they threw him out in the street.
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They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us? ” And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
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Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man? ”
36 The man said, "Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him."
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He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? ”
37 Jesus said, "You're looking right at him. Don't you recognize my voice?"
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Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you. ”
38 "Master, I believe," the man said, and worshiped him.
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He said, “Lord, I believe, ” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."
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Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. ”
40 Some Pharisees overheard him and said, "Does that mean you're calling us blind?"
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Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind? ”
41 Jesus said, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure.
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Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see, ’ your guilt remains.
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.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025