The
Pharisees Try To Trap Jesus
But Jesus
went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn
He appeared again in the Temple Courts,
Where all
the people gathered around Him,
And He sat
down to teach them.
3 The
Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
Brought in
a woman caught in Adultery.
They made
her stand before the group
4 And said
to Jesus, 'Teacher,
This woman
was caught in the Act of Adultery.
5 In the
Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.
Now what
do you say?'
6 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.
7 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.'
8 Again He
stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 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.
10 Jesus
straightened up and asked her,
'Woman,
where are they? Has no one condemned you?'
11 'No one
sir,' she said.
'Then
neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared.
'GO NOW
AND LEAVE YOUR LIFE OF SIN.'
The
Validity Of Jesus' Testimony
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.
13 The
Pharisees challenged Him,
'Here You
are, appearing as Your own witness;
Your
Testimony is Not Valid.'
14 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 came from and where I am going.
15 You
judge by human standards;
I pass
judgment on no one.
16 But if
I do judge, My decisions are Right,
Because I
am not alone.
I STAND
WITH THE FATHER WHO SENT ME.
17 In your
own Law it is written
That the
Testimony of two men is Valid.
18 I am
One Who Testifies for My self;
My other
Witness is the One Who sent Me—the Father.'
19 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.'
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 no yet come.
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.'
22 This
made the Jews ask,
'Will he
kill Himself?
Is that
why He says,
'Where I
go, you cannot come'?'
23 But he
continued,
'YOU ARE
FROM BELOW; I AM FROM ABOVE.
YOU ARE OF
THIS WORLD; I AM NOT OF THIS WORLD.
24 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.'
25 'Who
are you?' they asked.
'Just what
I have been claiming all along,' Jesus replied.
26 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.'
27 They
did not understand
That He
was telling them about His Father.
28 So
Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
Then you
will know who I am and that I do nothing on My own
But speak
just what the Father has taught Me.
29 THE ONE
WHO SENT ME IS WITH ME;
He has not
left Me alone,
For I
always do what pleases Him.'
30 Even as
He spoke, many put their Faith in Him.
The
Children Of Abraham
31
To the Jews who had Believed Him, Jesus said,
'IF
you Hold to My Teaching, you are Really My Disciples.
32
THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH,
AND
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.'
33
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?'
34
Jesus replied,
'I
tell you the Truth,
Everyone
who Sins is a Slave to Sin.
35
Now a Slave has no Permanent Place in the Family,
But
a Son belongs to it Forever.
36
So IF the Son Set you Free,
You
will be Free Indeed.
37
I know you are Abraham's Descendants.
Yet
you are ready to Kill Me,
BECAUSE
YOU HAVE NO ROOM FOR MY WORD.
38
I AM TELLING YOU
WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN MY FATHER'S PRESENCE,
AND
YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD FROM YOUR FATHER.'
39
'Abraham is our Father,' they answered.
'IF
you were Abraham's Children,' Jesus said
'You
would do the things Abraham did.
40
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.
41
YOU ARE DOING THE THINGS YOUR OWN FATHER DOES.'
'We
are not Illegitimate Children,' they Protested,
'The
only Father we have is God Himself.'
The
Children Of The Devil
42
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.
43
WHY IS MY LANGUAGE NOT CLEAR TO YOU?
Because
you are unable to hear what I say.
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.
45
Yet because I Tell the Truth, you do not believe Me!
46
CAN ANY OF YOU PROVE ME GUILTY OF SIN?
47
HE WHO BELONGS TO GOD HEARS WHAT GOD SAYS.
The
reason you do not hear Me
IS
THAT YOU DO NOT BELONG TO GOD.'
The
Claims Of Jesus About Himself
48
The Jews answered Him,
'Aren't
we right in saying that You are as Samaritan
And
demon possessed?'
49
'I am not possessed by a demon,' said Jesus,
'But
I honor My Father and you dishonor Me.
50
I am not seeking Glory for My self;
But
there is One Who seeks it,
And
He is the Judge.
51
I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,
IF
A MAN KEEPS MY WORD,
HE
WILL NEVER SEE DEATH.'
52
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 a man keeps Your Word,
He
will never taste Death.
53
ARE YOU GREATER THAN OUR FATHER ABRAHAM?
He
died, and so did the Prophets.
Who
do You think You are?
Jesus
replied, 'If I Glorify Myself, My Glory means nothing.
My
Father, Whom you claim as your God,
Is
the One Who Glorifies Me.
55
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.
56
YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM REJOICED
AT
THE THOUGH OF SEEING MY DAY;
HE
SAW IT AND WAS GLAD.'
57
'You are not yet fifty years old,' the Jews said to Him,
'And
You have seen Abraham!'
58'I
TELL YOU THE TRUTH,'
Jesus
answered,
'BEFORE
ABRAHAM WAS BORN, I AM!'
59
At this, they picked up stones to stone Him,
But
Jesus hid Himself,
Slipping
away from the Temple grounds.
(John
8)
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