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?
The Healing at the Pool
1 After this, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a religious festival. 2 Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool with five porches; in Hebrew it is called Bethzatha. 3 A large crowd of sick people were lying on the porches—the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. 5 A man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 Jesus saw him lying there, and he knew that the man had been sick for such a long time; so he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 The sick man answered, “Sir, I don't have anyone here to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am trying to get in, somebody else gets there first.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” 9 Immediately the man got well; he picked up his mat and started walking.
The day this happened was a Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish authorities told the man who had been healed, “This is a Sabbath, and it is against our Law for you to carry your mat.”
11 He answered, “The man who made me well told me to pick up my mat and walk.”
12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to do this?”
13 But the man who had been healed did not know who Jesus was, for there was a crowd in that place, and Jesus had slipped away.
14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “Listen, you are well now; so stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
15 Then the man left and told the Jewish authorities that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 So they began to persecute Jesus, because he had done this healing on a Sabbath. 17 Jesus answered them, “My Father is always working, and I too must work.”
18 This saying made the Jewish authorities all the more determined to kill him; not only had he broken the Sabbath law, but he had said that God was his own Father and in this way had made himself equal with God.
The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus answered them, “I tell you the truth: the Son can do nothing on his own; he does only what he sees his Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. He will show him even greater things to do than this, and you will all be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, in the same way the Son gives life to those he wants to. 22 Nor does the Father himself judge anyone. He has given his Son the full right to judge, 23 so that all will honor the Son in the same way as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
24 “I am telling you the truth: those who hear my words and believe in him who sent me have eternal life. They will not be judged, but have already passed from death to life. 25 I am telling you the truth: the time is coming—the time has already come—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will come to life. 26 Just as the Father is himself the source of life, in the same way he has made his Son to be the source of life. 27 And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice 29 and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned.
Witnesses to Jesus
30 “I can do nothing on my own authority; I judge only as God tells me, so my judgment is right, because I am not trying to do what I want, but only what he who sent me wants.
31 “If I testify on my own behalf, what I say is not to be accepted as real proof. 32 But there is someone else who testifies on my behalf, and I know that what he says about me is true. 33 John is the one to whom you sent your messengers, and he spoke on behalf of the truth. 34 It is not that I must have a human witness; I say this only in order that you may be saved. 35 John was like a lamp, burning and shining, and you were willing for a while to enjoy his light. 36 But I have a witness on my behalf which is even greater than the witness that John gave: what I do, that is, the deeds my Father gave me to do, these speak on my behalf and show that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father, who sent me, also testifies on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his face, 38 and you do not keep his message in your hearts, for you do not believe in the one whom he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me! 40 Yet you are not willing to come to me in order to have life.
41 “I am not looking for human praise. 42 But I know what kind of people you are, and I know that you have no love for God in your hearts. 43 I have come with my Father's authority, but you have not received me; when, however, someone comes with his own authority, you will receive him. 44 You like to receive praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from the one who alone is God; how, then, can you believe me? 45 Do not think, however, that I am the one who will accuse you to my Father. Moses, in whom you have put your hope, is the very one who will accuse you. 46 If you had really believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?”