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1 |
But Jesus went to
the Mount of Olives. |
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At dawn he appeared
again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he
sat down to teach them.
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The teachers of the
law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her
stand before the group
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and said to Jesus,
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
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In the Law Moses
commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
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They were using this
question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus
bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
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When they kept on
questioning him, he straightened up and said to them,
“If any one of you is without sin, let him be
the first to throw a stone at her.”
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Again he stooped
down and wrote on the ground. |
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At this, those who
heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus
was left, with the woman still standing there.
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10 |
Jesus straightened
up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no
one condemned you?”
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“No one, sir,” she
said. “Then neither do I condemn you,”
Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of
sin.”
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12 |
When Jesus spoke
again to the people, he said, “I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life.”
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13 |
The Pharisees
challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony
is not valid.”
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Jesus answered,
“Even if I testify on my own behalf, my
testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But
you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.
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You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on
no one. |
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But if I do judge, my decisions are right,
because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
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In your own Law it is written that the testimony
of two men is valid.
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I am one who testifies for myself; my other
witness is the Father, who sent me.”
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Then they asked him,
“Where is your father?” “You do not know me or
my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew
me, you would know my Father also.”
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20 |
He spoke these words
while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were
put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.
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21 |
Once more Jesus said
to them, “I am going away, and you will look for
me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
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This made the Jews
ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot
come’?”
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But he continued,
“You are from below; I am from above. You are
of this world; I am not of this world.
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I told you that you would die in your sins; if
you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in
your sins.”
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“Who are you?” they
asked. “Just what I have been claiming all
along,” Jesus replied.
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“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he
who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
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They did not
understand that he was telling them about his Father.
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So Jesus said,
“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then
you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my
own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
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The one who sent me is with me; he has not left
me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
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30 |
Even as he spoke,
many put their faith in him. |
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To the Jews who had
believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my
teaching, you are really my disciples.
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32 |
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.” |
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They answered him,
“We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can
you say that we shall be set free?”
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34 |
Jesus replied,
“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a
slave to sin.
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Now a slave has no permanent place in the
family, but a son belongs to it forever.
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So if the Son sets you free, you will be free
indeed. |
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I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you
are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word.
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I am telling you what I have seen in the
Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
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“Abraham is our
father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s
children,” said Jesus, “then you would do
the things Abraham did.
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As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man
who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such
things.
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You are doing the things your own father does.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we
have is God himself.”
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Jesus said to them,
“If God were your Father, you would love me, for
I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
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43 |
Why is my language not clear to you? Because
you are unable to hear what I say.
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44 |
You belong to your father, the devil, and you
want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the
beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of
lies.
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Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe
me! |
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Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am
telling the truth, why don't you believe me?
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He who belongs to God hears what God says. The
reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
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48 |
The Jews answered
him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and
demon-possessed?”
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“I am not possessed by a demon,” said
Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor
me.
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50 |
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is
one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
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51 |
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word,
he will never see death.”
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At this the Jews
exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so
did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never
taste death.
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Are you greater than
our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you
are?”
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Jesus replied,
“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.
My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
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Though you do not know him, I know him. If I
said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his
word.
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Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of
seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
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“You are not yet
fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
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“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered,
“before Abraham was born, I am!”
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59 |
At this, they picked
up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple
grounds.
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