John 7

₁After this, Jesus travelled in Galilee; he did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities there were wanting to kill him. ₂The time for the Festival of Shelters was near, ₃so Jesus' brothers said to him, “Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing. ₄No one hides what he is doing if he wants to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you!” ₅(Not even his brothers believed in him.)

₆Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come. Any time is right for you. ₇The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I keep telling it that its ways are bad. ₈You go on to the festival. I am not going to this festival, because the right time has not come for me.” ₉He said this, and then stayed on in Galilee.

₁₀After his brothers had gone to the festival, Jesus also went; however, he did not go openly, but secretly. ₁₁The Jewish authorities were looking for him at the festival. “Where is he?” they asked.

₁₂There was much whispering about him in the crowd. “He is a good man,” some people said. “No,” others said, “he is misleading the people.” ₁₃But no one talked about him openly, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.

₁₄The festival was nearly half over when Jesus went to the Temple and began teaching. ₁₅The Jewish authorities were greatly surprised and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had any training?”

₁₆Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own teaching, but it comes from God, who sent me. ₁₇Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority. ₁₈A person who speaks on his own authority is trying to gain glory for himself. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him. ₁₉Moses gave you the Law, didn't he? But not one of you obeys the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

₂₀“You have a demon in you!” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

₂₁Jesus answered, “I performed one miracle, and you were all surprised. ₂₂Moses ordered you to circumcise your sons (although it was not Moses but your ancestors who started it), and so you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. ₂₃If a boy is circumcised on the Sabbath so that Moses' Law is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? ₂₄Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards.”

₂₅Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn't this the man the authorities are trying to kill? ₂₆Look! He is talking in public, and they say nothing against him! Can it be that they really know that he is the Messiah? ₂₇But when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from. And we all know where this man comes from.”

₂₈As Jesus taught in the Temple, he said in a loud voice, “Do you really know me and know where I am from? I have not come on my own authority. He who sent me, however, is truthful. You do not know him, ₂₉but I know him, because I come from him and he sent me.”

₃₀Then they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ₃₁But many in the crowd believed in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?”

₃₂The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, so they and the chief priests sent some guards to arrest him. ₃₃Jesus said, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I shall go away to him who sent me. ₃₄You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be.”

₃₅The Jewish authorities said among themselves, “Where is he about to go so that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live, and teach the Greeks? ₃₆He says that we will look for him but will not find him, and that we cannot go where he will be. What does he mean?”

₃₇On the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and ₃₈whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.’ ” ₃₉Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were going to receive. At that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not been raised to glory.

₄₀Some of the people in the crowd heard him say this and said, “This man is really the Prophet!”

₄₁Others said, “He is the Messiah!”

But others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee! ₄₂The scripture says that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David and will be born in Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” ₄₃So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus. ₄₄Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

₄₅When the guards went back, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”

₄₆The guards answered, “Nobody has ever talked like this man!”

₄₇“Did he fool you, too?” the Pharisees asked them. ₄₈“Have you ever known one of the authorities or one Pharisee to believe in him? ₄₉This crowd does not know the Law of Moses, so they are under God's curse!”

₅₀One of the Pharisees there was Nicodemus, the man who had gone to see Jesus before. He said to the others, ₅₁“According to our Law we cannot condemn anyone before hearing him and finding out what he has done.”

₅₂“Well,” they answered, “are you also from Galilee? Study the Scriptures and you will learn that no prophet ever comes from Galilee.”