John 9

₁Jesus walked on and He saw a blind man. He had been blind from the day that he was born. ₂The disciples asked Jesus: ‘Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Whose fault was it? Was it he who sinned or was it his father or mother who sinned?’

₃Jesus said: ‘No, he is not blind because he or his parents sinned. He is blind because God wants to use him to show the people what God can do. ₄God has sent Me to the world. He wants us to show the people what He can do while it is day. When the night comes, it is dark and no one can work. ₅While I am with the people in the world, I am the light for the people.’

₆After Jesus said this, He spat on the ground and He made mud with the ground. He put the mud on the blind man's eyes and ₇said to him: ‘Go and wash your eyes in the Siloam Pool.’ (The name Siloam means ‘God has sent someone.’)

The blind man went and he washed himself. When he came back, he could see. ₈The people who stayed next to the blind man, and the other people who had known him when he was a beggar, asked: ‘Is this the same man who was a beggar?’

₉Some people said: ‘Yes, it is he.’ Other people said: ‘No, it is someone else who looks like the blind man.’ Then the blind man said: ‘Yes, it is I.’

₁₀The people asked him: ‘What happened that you can see now?’ ₁₁The man said: ‘A Man whose name is Jesus made mud and He put it on my eyes. Then He told me to go to the Siloam Pool and wash it off. I did what He said and then I could see.’

₁₂They asked him: ‘Where is that Man?’ He said: ‘I don't know.’

₁₃The people took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees because ₁₄it was on a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and healed the blind man. ₁₅The Pharisees also asked him what had happened that he could now see. He told them: ‘A Man put mud on my eyes, I washed my face and then I could see.’

₁₆Some Pharisees said: ‘This Man Jesus does not come from God because He works on the Sabbath day.’

Other Pharisees said: ‘Any person who does miracles like this can not be a sinner.’ The Pharisees argued with each other. ₁₇Then the Pharisees asked the man who had been blind: ‘What do you think of the Man who healed your eyes?’

The man who had been blind said: ‘I think He is a prophet.’

₁₈The Jewish_leaders did not want to believe that the man had been blind and that he now could see. Then they called the parents of the man who could now see ₁₉and they asked his parents: ‘Is this man your son? Is it true that he was blind when he was born? Why can he now see?’

₂₀His parents said: ‘We know that he is our son. We know he was blind when he was born. ₂₁But we do not know what happened so that he can see now. We do not know who healed his eyes. You must ask him. He is not a child. He can speak and tell you what happened.’

₂₂The man's parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish_leaders. The leaders had already said that if someone said he believed that Jesus was the Christ, then that person could never again go into the synagogue. ₂₃That is why the man's parents said that the man who was blind must speak, and they must ask him, because he was not a child.

₂₄The Jews called the man who had been blind again and they said to him: ‘Promise and say God is your Witness and speak the truth. We know that this Man Jesus is a sinner.’

₂₅The man said: ‘I do not know if Jesus is a sinner, but I know that I was blind and now I can see.’

₂₆The Jews asked him: ‘What did Jesus do for you? How did He heal your eyes?’ ₂₇The man said to them: ‘I have already told you but you did not listen. Why do you want me to tell it again? Do you also want to become disciples of Jesus?’

₂₈The Jews became angry and said: ‘You are a disciple of that Man. We are disciples of Moses. ₂₉We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don't know where this Man comes from.’

₃₀The man who had been blind said to them: ‘I do not understand you. You don't know where Jesus comes from, but He has healed my eyes. ₃₁We know that God does not listen to sinners. God listens to people who serve Him and do what He wants. ₃₂We have never heard people talking of someone who could heal a blind man, who was blind when he was born. ₃₃This Man comes from God. That is why He can do it.’

₃₄Then the Jews said to the man who was blind: ‘You have been a sinner from the day that you were born. You can not teach us. You may never come back into the synagogue.’

₃₅They told Jesus that the Jewish_leaders had said the man who had been blind could never go into the synagogue again. When Jesus saw the man, He asked him: ‘Do you believe in the Son of man?’ ₃₆The man said: ‘Sir, please tell me who the Son of man is, so that I can believe in Him.’

₃₇Jesus said to the man: ‘You are looking at Him. I am the Son of man, talking to you.’

₃₈The man said: ‘I believe, Lord.’ And he worshipped Jesus. ₃₉Jesus said: ‘I came to the world so that God can judge the people of the world. I came so that people who are blind can see. And I came so that people who think they can see will become blind.’

₄₀Some of the Pharisees who were near Jesus heard this. They said: ‘What? We are not blind.’ ₄₁Jesus said: ‘If you knew that you were blind, then you would not be guilty. But you say that you can see, and that is why you will always be guilty.’