1 After that, there was a feast of the Iewes, and Iesus went vp to Hierusalem. 2 And there is at Hierusalem by the place of the sheepe, a poole called in Ebrew Bethesda, hauing fiue porches: 3 In the which lay a great multitude of sicke folke, of blinde, halte, and withered, wayting for the mouing of the water. 4 For an Angel went downe at a certaine season into the poole, and troubled the water: whosoeuer then first, after the stirring of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoeuer disease he had. 5 And a certaine man was there, which had bene diseased eight and thirtie yeeres. 6 When Iesus sawe him lie, and knew that he nowe long time had bene diseased, he saide vnto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The sicke man answered him, Sir, I haue no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the poole: but while I am comming, another steppeth downe before me. 8 Iesus said vnto him, Rise: take vp thy bed, and walke. 9 And immediatly the man was made whole, and tooke vp his bed, and walked: and the same day was the Sabbath. 10 The Iewes therefore said to him that was made whole, It is the Sabbath day: it is not lawfull for thee to cary thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, he said vnto me, Take vp thy bed, and walke. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said vnto thee, Take vp thy bed and walke? 13 And he that was healed, knewe not who it was: for Iesus had conueied himselfe away from the multitude that was in that place. 14 And after that, Iesus founde him in the Temple, and said vnto him, Beholde, thou art made whole: sinne no more, lest a worse thing come vnto thee. 15 The man departed and tolde the Iewes that it was Iesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore the Iewes did persecute Iesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. 17 But Iesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I worke. 18 Therefore the Iewes sought the more to kill him: not onely because he had broken the Sabbath: but said also that God was his Father, and made himselfe equall with God. 19 Then answered Iesus, and said vnto them, Verely, verely I say vnto you, The Sonne can doe nothing of himselfe, saue that he seeth the Father doe: for whatsoeuer things he doth, the same things doeth the Sonne in like maner. 20 For the Father loueth the Sonne, and sheweth him all things, whatsoeuer he himselfe doeth, and he will shewe him greater workes then these, that ye should marueile. 21 For likewise as the Father rayseth vp the dead, and quickeneth them, so the Sonne quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father iudgeth no man, but hath committed all iudgement vnto the Sonne, 23 Because that all men shoulde honour the Sonne, as they honour the Father: he that honoureth not the Sonne, the same honoureth not the Father, which hath sent him. 24 Verely, verely I say vnto you, he that heareth my worde, and beleeueth him that sent me, hath euerlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but hath passed from death vnto life. 25 Verely, verely I say vnto you, the houre shall come, and now is, when the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God: and they that heare it, shall liue. 26 For as the Father hath life in himselfe, so likewise hath he giuen to the Sonne to haue life in himselfe, 27 And hath giuen him power also to execute iudgement, in that he is the Sonne of man. 28 Marueile not at this: for the houre shall come, in the which all that are in the graues, shall heare his voyce. 29 And they shall come foorth, that haue done good, vnto ye resurrection of life: but they that haue done euil, vnto the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can doe nothing of mine owne selfe: as I heare, I iudge: and my iudgement is iust, because I seeke not mine owne will, but the will of the Father who hath sent me. 31 If I should beare witnesse of my selfe, my witnesse were not true. 32 There is another that beareth witnesse of me, and I know that the witnesse, which he beareth of me, is true. 33 Ye sent vnto Iohn, and he bare witnesse vnto the trueth. 34 But I receiue not the record of man: neuerthelesse these things I say, that ye might be saued. 35 He was a burning, and a shining candle: and ye would for a season haue reioyced in his light. 36 But I haue greater witnesse then the witnesse of Iohn: for the workes which the Father hath giuen me to finish, the same workes that I doe, beare witnesse of me, that the Father sent me. 37 And the Father himselfe, which hath sent me, beareth witnesse of me. Ye haue not heard his voyce at any time, neither haue ye seene his shape. 38 And his worde haue you not abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye beleeued not. 39 Searche the Scriptures: for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life, and they are they which testifie of me. 40 But ye will not come to me, that ye might haue life. 41 I receiue not the prayse of men. 42 But I know you, that ye haue not the loue of God in you. 43 I am come in my Fathers Name, and ye receiue me not: if another shall come in his owne name, him will ye receiue. 44 How can ye beleeue, which receiue honour one of another, and seeke not the honour that commeth of God alone? 45 Doe not thinke that I will accuse you to my Father: there is one that accuseth you, euen Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye beleeued Moses, ye would haue beleeued me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye beleeue not his writings, how shall ye beleeue my wordes?
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
1 Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for another Jewish festival. 2 In the city near the sheep gate was a pool with five porches, and its name in Hebrew was Bethzatha.
3-4 Many sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying close to the pool.
5 Beside the pool was a man who had been sick for 38 years. 6 When Jesus saw the man and realized that he had been crippled for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to be healed?”
7 The man answered, “Sir, I don't have anyone to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up. I try to get in, but someone else always gets there first.”
8 Jesus told him, “Pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Right then the man was healed. He picked up his mat and started walking around. The day on which this happened was a Sabbath.
10 When the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his mat, they said to him, “This is the Sabbath! No one is allowed to carry a mat on the Sabbath.”
11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk.”
12 They asked him, “Who is this man that told you to pick up your mat and walk?” 13 But he did not know who Jesus was, and Jesus had left because of the crowd.
14 Later, Jesus met the man in the temple and told him, “You are now well. But don't sin anymore or something worse might happen to you.” 15 The man left and told the leaders that Jesus was the one who had healed him. 16 They started making a lot of trouble for Jesus because he did things like this on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus said, “My Father has never stopped working, and this is why I keep on working.” 18 Now the leaders wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons. First, he had broken the law of the Sabbath. But even worse, he had said God was his Father, which made him equal with God.
The Son's Authority
19 Jesus told the people:
I tell you for certain the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do. 20 The Father loves the Son and has shown him everything he does. The Father will show him even greater things, and you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants to.
22 The Father doesn't judge anyone, but he has made his Son the judge of everyone. 23 The Father wants all people to honor the Son as much as they honor him. When anyone refuses to honor the Son, this is the same as refusing to honor the Father who sent him. 24 I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life.
25 I tell you for certain the time will come, and it is already here, when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen to it will live! 26 The Father has the power to give life, and he has given that same power to the Son. 27 And he has given his Son the right to judge everyone, because he is the Son of Man.
28 Don't be surprised! The time will come when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man, 29 and they will come out of their graves. Everyone who has done good things will rise to life, but everyone who has done evil things will rise and be condemned.
30 I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness, because I obey him, and I don't just try to please myself.
Witnesses to Jesus
31 If I speak for myself, there is no way to prove I am telling the truth. 32 But there is someone else who speaks for me, and I know what he says is true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he told them the truth. 34 I don't depend on what people say about me, but I tell you these things so that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that gave a lot of light, and you were glad to enjoy his light for a while.
36 But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me.
37 The Father who sent me also speaks for me, but you have never heard his voice or seen him face to face. 38 You have not believed his message, because you refused to have faith in the one he sent.
39 You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, 40 but you refuse to come to me for eternal life.
41 I don't care about human praise, 42 but I do know that none of you love God. 43 I have come with my Father's authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own. 44 How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don't care about praise that the only God can give!
45 Don't think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is the very one who will accuse you. 46 Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me. 47 But if you don't believe what Moses wrote, how can you believe what I say?