1 And a certaine man was sicke, named Lazarus of Bethania, the towne of Marie, and her sister Martha. 2 (And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with oyntment, and wiped his feete with her heare, whose brother Lazarus was sicke.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent vnto him, saying, Lord, beholde, he whome thou louest, is sicke. 4 When Iesus heard it, he saide, This sickenes is not vnto death, but for the glorie of God, that the Sonne of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Nowe Iesus loued Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 And after he had heard that he was sicke, yet abode hee two dayes still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that, said he to his disciples, Let vs goe into Iudea againe. 8 The disciples saide vnto him, Master, the Iewes lately sought to stone thee, and doest thou goe thither againe? 9 Iesus answered, Are there not twelue houres in the day? If a man walke in the day, hee stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walke in the night, hee stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11 These things spake he, and after, he said vnto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth: but I goe to wake him vp. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleepe, he shalbe safe. 13 Howbeit, Iesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of the naturall sleepe. 14 Then saide Iesus vnto them plainely, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, that ye may beleeue: but let vs go vnto him. 16 Then saide Thomas (which is called Didymus) vnto his felow disciples, Let vs also goe, that we may die with him. 17 Then came Iesus, and found that he had lien in the graue foure dayes alreadie. 18 (Nowe Bethania was neere vnto Hierusalem, about fifteene furlongs off.) 19 And many of ye Iewes were come to Martha and Marie to comfort them for their brother. 20 Then Martha, when shee heard that Iesus was comming, went to meete him: but Mary sate still in the house. 21 Then said Martha vnto Iesus, Lord, if thou hadst bene here, my brother had not bene dead. 22 But now I know also, that whatsoeuer thou askest of God, God will giue it thee. 23 Iesus said vnto her, Thy brother shall rise againe. 24 Martha said vnto him, I know that he shall rise againe in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Iesus saide vnto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that beleeueth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he liue. 26 And whosoeuer liueth, and beleeueth in me, shall neuer die: Beleeuest thou this? 27 She said vnto him, Yea, Lord, I beleeue that thou art that Christ that Sonne of God, which should come into the world. 28 And when she had so saide, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29 And when she heard it, shee arose quickly, and came vnto him. 30 For Iesus was not yet come into the towne, but was in the place where Martha met him. 31 The Iewes then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they sawe Marie, that she rose vp hastily, and went out, folowed her, saying, She goeth vnto the graue, to weepe there. 32 Then when Mary was come where Iesus was, and sawe him, she fell downe at his feete, saying vnto him, Lord, if thou haddest bene here, my brother had not bene dead. 33 When Iesus therefore saw her weepe, and the Iewes also weepe which came with her, hee groned in the spirit, and was troubled in himselfe, 34 And saide, Where haue ye layde him? They said vnto him, Lord, come and see. 35 And Iesus wept. 36 Then saide the Iewes, Beholde, how he loued him. 37 And some of them saide, Coulde not he, which opened the eyes of the blinde, haue made also, that this man should not haue died? 38 Iesus therefore againe groned in himselfe, and came to the graue. And it was a caue, and a stone was layde vpon it. 39 Iesus saide, Take ye away the stone. Martha the sister of him that was dead, said vnto him, Lord, he stinketh alreadie: for he hath bene dead foure dayes. 40 Iesus saide vnto her, Saide I not vnto thee, that if thou diddest beleeue, thou shouldest see the glorie of God? 41 Then they tooke away the stone from the place where the dead was layde. And Iesus lift vp his eyes, and saide, Father, I thanke thee, because thou hast heard me. 42 I knowe that thou hearest me alwayes, but because of the people that stand by, I said it, that they may beleeue, that thou hast sent me. 43 As hee had spoken these things, hee cried with a loude voyce, Lazarus, come foorth. 44 Then he that was dead, came forth, bound hande and foote with bandes, and his face was bound with a napkin. Iesus said vnto them, Loose him, and let him goe. 45 Then many of the Iewes, which came to Mary, and had seene the thinges, which Iesus did, beleeued in him. 46 But some of them went their way to the Pharises, and told them what things Iesus had done. 47 Then gathered the hie Priests, and the Pharises a councill, and said, What shall we doe? For this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will beleeue in him, and the Romanes will come and take away both our place, and the nation. 49 Then one of them named Caiaphas, which was the hie Priest that same yere, said vnto them, Ye perceiue nothing at all, 50 Nor yet doe you consider that it is expedient for vs, that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 This spake hee not of himselfe: but being hie Priest that same yere, he prophecied that Iesus should die for that nation: 52 And not for that nation onely, but that he shoulde gather together in one the children of God, which were scattered. 53 Then from that day foorth they consulted together, to put him to death. 54 Iesus therefore walked no more openly among the Iewes, but went thence vnto a countrey neere to the wildernes, into a citie called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. 55 And the Iewes Passeouer was at hande, and many went out of the countrey vp to Hierusalem before the Passeouer, to purifie themselues. 56 Then sought they for Iesus, and spake among themselues, as they stoode in the Temple, What thinke ye, that he cometh not to the feast? 57 Now both the high Priestes and the Pharises had giuen a commandement, that if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
The Death of Lazarus
1 A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, became sick. Bethany was the town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ( 2 This Mary was the one who poured the perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.) 3 The sisters sent Jesus a message: “Lord, your dear friend is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory.”
5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he received the news that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. 7 Then he said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “Teacher,” the disciples answered, “just a short time ago the people there wanted to stone you; and are you planning to go back?”
9 Jesus said, “A day has twelve hours, doesn't it? So those who walk in broad daylight do not stumble, for they see the light of this world. 10 But if they walk during the night they stumble, because they have no light.” 11 Jesus said this and then added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples answered, “If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well.”
13 Jesus meant that Lazarus had died, but they thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him.”
16 Thomas (called the Twin) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us all go along with the Teacher, so that we may die with him!”
Jesus the Resurrection and the Life
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother's death.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.”
23 “Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her.
24 “I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; 26 and those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord!” she answered. “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Jesus Weeps
28 After Martha said this, she went back and called her sister Mary privately. “The Teacher is here,” she told her, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him. ( 30 Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.) 31 The people who were in the house with Mary comforting her followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out. They thought that she was going to the grave to weep there.
32 Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died!”
33 Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. 34 “Where have you buried him?” he asked them.
“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.
35 Jesus wept. 36 “See how much he loved him!” the people said.
37 But some of them said, “He gave sight to the blind man, didn't he? Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?”
Lazarus Is Brought to Life
38 Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance. 39 “Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered.
Martha, the dead man's sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord. He has been buried four days!”
40 Jesus said to her, “Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed?” 41 They took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me. 42 I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43 After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face. “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go.”
The Plot against Jesus
(Matthew 26.1-5Mark 14.1Mark 2Luke 22.1Luke 2)45 Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did, and they believed in him. 46 But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, “What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing! 48 If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!”
49 One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, “What fools you are! 50 Don't you realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?” 51 Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people, 52 and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God.
53 From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus. 54 So Jesus did not travel openly in Judea, but left and went to a place near the desert, to a town named Ephraim, where he stayed with the disciples.
55 The time for the Passover Festival was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to perform the ritual of purification before the festival. 56 They were looking for Jesus, and as they gathered in the Temple, they asked one another, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” 57 The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must report it, so that they could arrest him.