John 8:21-59

21Then He said again to them, “I go away, and 1you will seek Me, and 2will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” 22So 3the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘4Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23And He was saying to them, “5You are from below, I am from above; 6you are of this world, 7I am not of this world. 24Therefore I said to you that you 8will die in your sins; for unless you believe that 910I am He, 11you will die in your sins.” 25So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “12What have I been saying to you from the beginning? 26I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but 13He who sent Me is true; and 14the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” 27They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. 28So Jesus said, “When you 15lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that 1617I am He, and 18I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29And He who sent Me is with Me; 19He 20has not left Me alone, for 21I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30As He spoke these things, 22many came to believe in Him.

31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “23If you continue in My word, then you are truly 24disciples of Mine; 32and 25you will know the truth, and 26the truth will make you free.” 33They answered Him, “27We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, 28everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 3529The slave does not remain in the house forever; 30the son does remain forever. 36So if the Son 31makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are 32Abraham’s descendants; yet 33you seek to kill Me, because My word 34has no place in you. 38I speak the things which I have seen 35with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from 36your father.”

39They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is 37our father.” Jesus said to them, “38If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40But as it is, 39you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has 40told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41You are doing the deeds of 41your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; 42we have one Father: God.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, 43you would love Me, 44for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have 45not even come on My own initiative, but 4647He sent Me. 43Why do you not understand 4849what I am saying? It is because you cannot 50hear My word. 4451You are of 52your father the devil, and 53you want to do the desires of your father. 54He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because 55there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks 56a lie, he 57speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of 58lies. 45But because 59I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If 60I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 4761He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

4862The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a 63Samaritan and 64have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not 65have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50But 66I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone 67keeps My word he will never 68see death.” 5269The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You 70have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone 71keeps My word, he will never 72taste of death.’ 53Surely You 73are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54Jesus answered, “74If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; 75it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55and 76you have not come to know Him, 77but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be 78a liar like you, 79but I do know Him and 80keep His word. 5681Your father Abraham 82rejoiced 83to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 5784So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham 85was born, 86I am.” 59Therefore they 87picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus 8889hid Himself and went out of the temple.