John 7

₁After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. ₂Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. ₃So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. ₄For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” ₅For not even his brothers believed in him. ₆Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ₇The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. ₈You go up to the feast. I am notgoing up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” ₉After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

₁₀But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. ₁₁The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” ₁₂And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” ₁₃Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

₁₄About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. ₁₅The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” ₁₆So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. ₁₇If anyone’s will is to do God’swill, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. ₁₈The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. ₁₉Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” ₂₀The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” ₂₁Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. ₂₂Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ₂₃If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? ₂₄Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

₂₅Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? ₂₆And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? ₂₇But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” ₂₈So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ₂₉I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” ₃₀So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ₃₁Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

₃₂The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. ₃₃Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. ₃₄You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” ₃₅The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ₃₆What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

₃₇On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ₃₈Whoever believes in me, asthe Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ₃₉Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

₄₀When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” ₄₁Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? ₄₂Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ₄₃So there was a division among the people over him. ₄₄Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

₄₅The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” ₄₆The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” ₄₇The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? ₄₈Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? ₄₉But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” ₅₀Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ₅₁“Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” ₅₂They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]

₅₃[[They went each to his own house,