John 8:28–59

²⁸So Jesus said, “When you ^alift up the Son of Man, then you will know that ^1bI am He, and ^cI do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

²⁹“And He who sent Me is with Me; ^aHe ¹has not left Me alone, for ^bI always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

³⁰As He spoke these things, ^amany came to believe in Him.

The Truth Will Make You Free

³¹So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “^aIf you continue in My word, then you are truly ^bdisciples of Mine;

³²and ^ayou will know the truth, and ^bthe truth will make you free.”

³³They answered Him, “^aWe 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, ^aeveryone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

³⁵“^aThe slave does not remain in the house forever; ^bthe son does remain forever.

³⁶“So if the Son ^amakes you free, you will be free indeed.

³⁷“I know that you are ^aAbraham’s descendants; yet ^byou seek to kill Me, because My word ¹has no place in you.

³⁸“I speak the things which I have seen ¹with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ^ayour father.”

³⁹They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is ^aour father.” Jesus said to them, “^bIf you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.

⁴⁰“But as it is, ^ayou are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ^btold you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.

⁴¹“You are doing the deeds of ^ayour father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; ^bwe have one Father: God.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ^ayou would love Me, ^bfor I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have ^cnot even come on My own initiative, but ^1dHe sent Me.

⁴³“Why do you not understand ^1awhat I am saying? It is because you cannot ^bhear My word.

⁴⁴“^aYou are of ^byour father the devil, and ^cyou want to do the desires of your father. ^dHe was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ^ethere is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks ¹a lie, he ^fspeaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of ²lies.

⁴⁵“But because ^aI speak the truth, you do not believe Me.

⁴⁶“Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If ^aI speak truth, why do you not believe Me?

⁴⁷“^aHe who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

^48aThe Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a ^bSamaritan and ^chave a demon?”

⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I do not ^ahave a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

⁵⁰“But ^aI do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

⁵¹“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone ^akeeps My word he will never ^bsee death.”

^52aThe Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^bhave a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone ^ckeeps My word, he will never ^dtaste of death.’

⁵³“Surely You ^aare not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”

⁵⁴Jesus answered, “^aIf I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; ^bit is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;

⁵⁵and ^ayou have not come to know Him, ^bbut I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ^ca liar like you, but I do know Him and ^dkeep His word.

⁵⁶“^aYour father Abraham ^brejoiced ¹to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

^57aSo 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 ¹was born, ^aI am.”

⁵⁹Therefore they ^apicked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^1bhid Himself and went out of the temple.