John 8
but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 aEarly in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and bhe sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now ain the Law, Moses commanded us bto stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said ato test him, bthat they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, a“Let him who is without sin among you bbe the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, a“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on bsin no more.”]]
I Am the Light of the World
12 aAgain Jesus spoke to them, saying, b“I am the light of the world. Whoever cfollows me will not dwalk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, a“You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, amy testimony is true, for I know bwhere I came from and cwhere I am going, but dyou do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 aYou judge according to the flesh; bI judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, amy judgment is true, for bit is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 aIn your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and athe Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, a“You know neither me nor my Father. bIf you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in athe treasury, as he taught in the temple; but bno one arrested him, because chis hour had not yet come.
21 So he said to them again, a“I am going away, and byou will seek me, and cyou will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, a“Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, a“You are from below; I am from above. bYou are of this world; cI am not of this world. 24 I told you that you awould die in your sins, for bunless you believe that cI am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, a“Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but ahe who sent me is true, and I declare bto the world cwhat I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that ahe had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have alifted up the Son of Man, bthen you will know that cI am he, and that dI do nothing on my own authority, but espeak just as the Father taught me. 29 And ahe who sent me is with me. aHe has not left me alone, for bI always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, amany believed in him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, a“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will aknow the truth, and the truth bwill set you free.” 33 They answered him, a“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, aeveryone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 aThe slave does not remain in the house forever; bthe son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ayou seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 aI speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard bfrom your father.”
You Are of Your Father the Devil
39 They answered him, a“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, b“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now ayou seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth bthat I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, a“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have bone Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, a“If God were your Father, you would love me, for bI came from God and cI am here. dI came not of my own accord, but ehe sent me. 43 aWhy do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bbear to hear my word. 44 aYou are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. bHe was a murderer from the beginning, and cdoes not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. dWhen he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 aWhoever is of God hears the words of God. bThe reason why you do not hear them is that cyou are not of God.”
Before Abraham Was, I Am
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ahave a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but aI honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet aI do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, aI say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never bsee death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! aAbraham died, as did the prophets, yet byou say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never ctaste death.’ 53 aAre you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, a“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. bIt is my Father who glorifies me, cof whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But ayou have not known him. bI know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ca liar dlike you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 aYour father Abraham brejoiced cthat he would see my day. dHe saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, aI am.” 59 So athey picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.