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John 8

1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he came again to the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them. 3The scribes and Pharisees brought him a woman caught in adultery and stood her in the middle. 4Testing him, they said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 5In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. What, then, do you say?” 6They said this to test him, so that they might have grounds to accuse him. But Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger, paying no attention. 7As they continued questioning him, 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.” 8Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard, convicted by their conscience, they went out one by one, beginning with the oldest. Jesus was left alone, with the woman in the middle. 10Jesus straightened up, and seeing no one except the woman, said to her, “Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, sir.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.”

12Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will certainly not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13The Pharisees said to him, “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, 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. 16Yet even if I judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me are together. 17In your law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.” 19They said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20He spoke these words in the treasury while teaching in the temple. No one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

21He said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me and die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22The Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24So I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” 25They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? 26I have much to say and judge concerning you. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I speak to the world.” 27They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. 28So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing from myself, but speak these things just as the Father taught me. 29The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30As he spoke these things, many believed in him.

31Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will free you.” 33They answered him, “We are Abraham's offspring and have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I tell you: everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35The slave does not remain in the household forever; the son remains forever. 36So if the Son frees you, you will truly be free. 37I know that you are Abraham's offspring, but you seek to kill me because my word has no room in you. 38I speak what I have seen with the Father; you too do what you have heard from your father.”

39They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham's children, you would do Abraham's works. 40But now you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here. I have not come from myself, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. 44You are from your father the devil, and you want to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from what is his own, because he is a liar and the father of it. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which of you convicts me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever is from God hears God's words. This is why you do not hear: you are not from God.”

48The Jews answered him, “Are we not right to say you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and judges. 51Truly, truly, I tell you: if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are you? The prophets died too. Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, the one of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55You have not known him, but I know him. If I said I did not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I know him and keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57The Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you: before Abraham came into being, I am.” 59They picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Translation notes 4

7:53–8:11 — A familiar passage with disputed placement. Early Greek witnesses including P66, P75, Sinaiticus, and Vaticanus omit this account. Other witnesses place it elsewhere. The evidence strongly favors its not belonging to John's earliest recoverable text. It is retained here in double brackets under the project's agreed policy. Its historical value is a separate question. The wording follows the form printed by SBLGNT; details including the accusers' consciences and Jesus' paying no attention also vary within this passage's transmission.

8:24–28, 58; 18:5–8 — I am. The Greek can simply identify a speaker: compare the healed man in 9:9. In several sayings of Jesus, divine self-identification in Isaiah is a significant possible resonance. “I am he” supplies ordinary English completion without adding “the Messiah.” At 8:58, “before Abraham came into being, I am” preserves the striking tense contrast rather than changing it to “I was.” The arrest scene's falling back remains unexplained in the translation.

8:25, 31, 38–44 — Difficult dialogue. “Why do I speak to you at all?” is disputed; another interpretation is “What I have been telling you from the beginning.” Verse 31 really describes the audience as having believed him; the draft does not add “pretended.” In 8:38, “your” before the second “father” is supplied under the interpretation developed in 8:41–44; an alternative reads the clause as a command to do what they heard from the Father. “Children of Abraham” in verse 39 concerns conduct in this argument. Jesus has already acknowledged their descent in verse 37. The accusation involving the devil addresses these opponents, not all Jewish people.

8:51–54 — See, taste, and our God. Jesus says “see death”; his opponents restate it as “taste death.” The difference remains. “Our God” follows the base text in verse 54; another reading has “your God.”