John 8

1but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.* 2At daybreak he appeared again in the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them.* 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle* 4and said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.* 5In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”* 6They said this to test him, so that they would have grounds to accuse him. But Jesus bent down and began writing on the ground with his finger.* 7When they kept pressing him with questions, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”* 8And bending down again, he went on writing on the ground.* 9When they heard this, they slipped away one by one, the elders first, until he was left alone, with the woman still standing there in the middle.* 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”* 11“No one, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on sin no more.”*

The Light of the World

12Jesus spoke to them again, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13The Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying about yourself; your testimony is not valid.” 14Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16And even if I do judge, my judgment is sound, because I am not alone: I stand with the Father who sent me. 17In your own law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18I testify about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.” 19So they asked him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father as well.” 20He spoke these words by the treasury, while teaching in the temple; and no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. 21Again he said to them, “I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22So the Jews said, “He isn’t going to kill himself, is he? Is that why he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not belong to this world. 24That is why I told you that you will die in your sins: if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” 25“Who are you?” they asked. Jesus said to them, “What I have been telling you from the beginning. 26There is much I could say about you, and much to judge. But the one who sent me is true, and what I have heard from him — that is what I tell the world.” 27They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. 28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own; I say only what the Father has taught me. 29And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30As he said these things, many believed in him.

Before Abraham Came to Be

31Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you hold to my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and we have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be set free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35A slave has no lasting place in the household; a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know you are Abraham’s offspring. Yet you are trying to kill me, because my word finds no room in you. 38I speak of what I have seen at the Father’s side; you, then, do what you have heard from your father.” 39They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40But now you are trying to kill me — a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. That is not what Abraham did. 41You are doing the works of your own father.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children. We have one Father: God.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I have not come on my own; he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you choose to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he never stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native tongue, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But I — because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which of you can convict me of sin? And if I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. You do not hear them, because you do not belong to God.” 48The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right to say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon. I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50I am not seeking glory for myself; there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51Very truly I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets — and you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me — the one of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55You have never known him, but I know him. If I said I did not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. 56Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see my day; he saw it, and he was glad.” 57The Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham came to be, I am.” 59At that they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and left the temple.