John 16:16–33

The Prediction of Christ’s Death and Resurrection

¹⁶“A ^slittle while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, ^tbecause I go to the Father.”

¹⁷Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not ⁴know what He is saying.”

¹⁹Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? ²⁰Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and ^ulament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into ^vjoy. ^21wA woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and ^xyour heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

²³“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. ^yMost assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, ^zthat your joy may be ^afull.

²⁵“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you ^bplainly about the Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; ^27cfor the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and ^dhave believed that I came forth from God. ^28eI came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

²⁹His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! ³⁰Now we are sure that ^fYou know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this ^gwe believe that You came forth from God.”

³¹Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ^32hIndeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, ⁱeach to his ⁵own, and will leave Me alone. And ^jyet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³These things I have spoken to you, that ^kin Me you may have peace. ^lIn the world you ⁶will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, ^mI have overcome the world.”