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John 14

1“Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, you may be too. 4And you know the way to where I am going.” 5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you had known me, you would have known my Father too. From now on you know him and have seen him.”

8Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you have not known me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own; the Father who remains in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves. 12Truly, truly, I tell you: whoever believes in me will also do the works I do, and will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

15“If you love me, you will keep my commands. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever: 17the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he remains with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you too will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

22Judas—not Iscariot—said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father's, who sent me.

25“I have said these things to you while remaining with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled or cowardly. 28You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. 30I will not speak much longer with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31but I do just as the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up; let us go from here.

Translation notes 3

14:1–2, 7, 14–17 — Commands, dwellings, and variants. “Believe in God” can also be read as “You believe in God.” “Dwelling places” does not specify luxurious mansions, and the same noun returns in “make our dwelling” at 14:23. The question in verse 2 is an editorial punctuation choice. Another interpretation reads, “If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going to prepare a place for you.” Here the Greek word rendered “that” is understood as “because.” Verse 7 follows the base's past counterfactual; another reading says, in effect, “If you know me, you will know my Father too.” “Me” in “ask me” at verse 14 is textually disputed. Verse 15 reads “you will keep,” not “keep.” Verse 17 follows “will be in you”; some witnesses read “is in you.”

14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 — Advocate. Paraklētos describes someone who aids or represents another. “Advocate” brings out the support and testimony prominent here; “Helper,” “Counselor,” and the traditional “Comforter” express parts of the sense. It is not limited to soothing distress or to a modern courtroom job. The Spirit also teaches, reminds, and guides. English “he” reflects this personal presentation; Greek grammatical gender alone does not establish personhood.

14:27–28, 30 — Cowardly; greater; no claim. “Cowardly” reflects a verb for being timid or afraid, alongside “troubled.” “The Father is greater than I” is retained without an explanation inserted. “He has no claim on me” renders the idiomatic “in me he has nothing.”