The Healing at the Pool

51 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now in Jerusalem near the sheep-market there is a public bath which in Hebrew is named Beth-zatha. It has five doorways. 3 In these doorways there were a great number of people with different diseases: some unable to see, some without the power of walking, some with wasted bodies. 4 [] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him there on the floor it was clear to him that he had been now a long time in that condition, and so he said to the man, Is it your desire to get well? 7 The ill man said in answer, Sir, I have nobody to put me into the bath when the water is moving; and while I am on the way down some other person gets in before me. 8 Jesus said to him, Get up, take your bed and go. 9 And the man became well straight away, and took up his bed and went. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been made well, It is the Sabbath; and it is against the law for you to take up your bed. 11 He said to them, But he who made me well, said to me, Take up your bed and go. 12 Then they put to him the question: Who is the man who said to you, Take it up and go? 13 Now he who had been made well had no knowledge who it was, Jesus having gone away because of the number of people who were in that place. 14 After a time Jesus came across him in the Temple and said to him, See, you are well and strong; do no more sin for fear a worse thing comes to you. 15 The man went away and said to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 And for this reason the Jews were turned against Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

17 But his answer was: My Father is still working even now, and so I am working. 18 For this cause the Jews had an even greater desire to put Jesus to death, because not only did he not keep the Sabbath but he said God was his Father, so making himself equal with God.

The Authority of the Son

19 So Jesus made answer and said, Truly I say to you, The Son is not able to do anything himself; he is able to do only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does the Son does it in the same way. 20 For the Father has love for the Son and lets him see everything which he does: and he will let him see greater works than these so that you may be full of wonder. 21 In the same way, as the Father gives life to the dead, even so the Son gives life to those to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 The Father is not the judge of men, but he has given all decisions into the hands of the Son; 23 So that all men may give honour to the Son even as they give honour to the Father. He who gives no honour to the Son gives no honour to the Father who sent him. 24 Truly I say to you, The man whose ears are open to my word and who has faith in him who sent me, has eternal life; he will not be judged, but has come from death into life. 25 Truly I say to you, The time is coming, it has even now come, when the voice of the Son of God will come to the ears of the dead, and those hearing it will have life. 26 For even as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to be judge because he is the Son of man. 28 Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead, 29 And they will come out; those who have done good, into the new life; and those who have done evil, to be judged.

Witnesses to Jesus

30 Of myself I am unable to do anything: as the voice comes to me so I give a decision: and my decision is right because I have no desire to do what is pleasing to myself, but only what is pleasing to him who sent me.

31 If I gave witness about myself, my witness would not be true. 32 There is another who gives witness about me and I am certain that the witness he gives about me is true. 33 You sent to John and he gave true witness. 34 But I have no need of a man's witness: I only say these things so that you may have salvation. 35 He was a burning and shining light, and for a time you were ready to be happy in his light. 36 But the witness which I have is greater than that of John: the work which the Father has given me to do, the very work which I am now doing, is a witness that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father himself who sent me has given witness about me. Not one of you has ever given ear to his voice; his form you have not seen. 38 And you have not kept his word in your hearts, because you have not faith in him whom he has sent. 39 You make search in the holy Writings, in the belief that through them you get eternal life; and it is those Writings which give witness about me. 40 And still you have no desire to come to me so that you may have life. 41 I do not take honour from men; 42 But I have knowledge of you that you have no love for God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and your hearts are not open to me. If another comes with no other authority but himself, you will give him your approval. 44 How is it possible for you to have faith while you take honour one from another and have no desire for the honour which comes from the only God? 45 Put out of your minds the thought that I will say things against you to the Father: the one who says things against you is Moses, on whom you put your hopes. 46 If you had belief in Moses you would have belief in me; for his writings are about me. 47 If you have no belief in his writings, how will you have belief in my words?

Jesus and Nicodemus

31 Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him. 3 Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again? 5 Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God. 6 That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth. 8 The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit. 9 And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be? 10 And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things? 11 Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true. 12 If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven? 13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man. 14 As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up: 15 So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life.

God So Loved the World

16 For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him. 18 The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil. 20 The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen. 21 But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.

He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease

22 After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism. 23 Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism. 24 For at this time John had not been put into prison. 25 Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing. 26 And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him. 27 And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ. 29 He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete. 30 He has to become greater while I become less.

The Testimony from Heaven

31 He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all. 32 He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true. 33 He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent says God's words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands. 36 He who has faith in the Son has eternal life; but he who has not faith in the Son will not see life; God's wrath is resting on him.