John 16:1–33

“I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. ²They will ban you from the synagogues.^ad In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service^ae to God. ³They will do these things because they haven’t known^af the Father or me. ⁴But I have told you these things so that when their time^B comes you will remember^ag I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵But now I am going away^ah to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’^{ai 6}Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth.^aj It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.^{ak 8}When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: ⁹About sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰about righteousness, because I am going to the Father^al and you will no longer see me; ¹¹and about judgment,^am because the ruler of this world^an has been judged.^ao

¹²“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.^{ap 13}When the Spirit of truth^aq comes, he will guide you into all the truth.^ar For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵Everything the Father^as has is mine.^at This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.^au

SORROW TURNED TO JOY

¹⁶“In a little while,^av you will no longer see me;^aw again in a little while, you will see me.”^C

¹⁷Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this he’s telling us: ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again a little while, you will see me,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’^a?” ¹⁸They said, “What is this he is saying,^D ‘In a little while’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”

¹⁹Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’? ²⁰Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn,^b but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful,^c but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹When a woman is in labor, she has pain^d because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child,^e she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. ²²So you also have sorrow^A now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice,^f and no one will take away your joy from you.^g

²³“In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.^{h 24}Until now you have asked for nothing in my name.ⁱ Ask and you will receive,^j so that your joy may be complete.^k

JESUS THE VICTOR

²⁵“I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶On that day you will ask^l in my name, and^m I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷For the Father himself loves you, because you have lovedⁿ me and have believed that I came from God.^{Bo 28}I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”^p

²⁹His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. ³⁰Now we know that you know everything^q and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”^r

³¹Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? ³²Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come,^s when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.^{t 33}I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”