But He gave all those who did welcome Him the opportunity of becoming children of God by believing in His name [i.e., as the Messiah].

John gave testimony about Jesus, shouting out, "This person is the one about whom I said, 'He who will come after me ranks above me because He existed before me.'"

And this is the testimony John [the Immerser] gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" [Note: Levites were men who assisted the priests in the Temple service].

So, John gave his testimony, saying, "I have seen the Holy Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it remained on Him.

For God loved the world [of sinners] so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that every person who believes in Him would not [have to] be destroyed, but have never ending life.

Are you greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us this well? He himself and his sons and cattle [all] drank from it."

For [just] as the Father is Himself [the source of] life, in the same way He gave to His Son also [the power] to be [the source of] life.

And He gave His Son authority to carry out judgment [upon mankind] because He is the Son of man [Note: The Greek actually says "a son of man"].

Our forefathers ate the [supernatural] 'manna' in the desert, as it is written [Neh. 9:15], 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not [really] Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who is [now] giving you the real bread from heaven.

[Now] Moses gave you [the ordinance of] circumcision and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath day. (Although it was [first] required by [your] forefathers, and not Moses).

The crowd of people that was with Jesus [and saw Him] when He called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from the dead, gave testimony [about all this].

Jesus answered, "It is the person to whom I give a piece of bread after dipping it [in the sauce bowl]." So, when He had dipped the piece of bread, He took it [out] and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

Just as you gave Him authority over all mankind, He will give never ending life to all those people [Note: The Greek word here is neuter gender, "all those things"] you have given Him.

I am honoring you [while] on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

I have revealed your name [i.e., your power and character] to the men you gave me out of the world [i.e., the apostles]. They belonged to you, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word.

Now they know that everything you gave me came from you,

because I have given them the message you gave me, and they accepted it. They [also] knew for certain that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

I am praying for them [i.e., the apostles]; I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you gave me, who belong to you.

I protected them while I was with them by [the power of] your name which you gave me. [See verse 11]. I guarded them so that not one of them was lost except the "son of destruction" [i.e., Judas]. [This was] so that the Scripture would be fulfilled [Psa. 41:9 ?].

And I have given them [i.e., all believers] the honor which you gave me, so that they may be one, just as we are one:

"Father, I want those you gave me [i.e., the apostles, see verse 6] to be with me where I am [going], so they will see my splendor [i.e., in heaven], which you have given me, for you loved me before the creation of the world.

[He said this] so the words He had spoken [previously] would be fulfilled [See 17:12], "I did not lose any of those men you [i.e., God] gave me."

After drinking some of the sour wine, Jesus said, "It is completed," [i.e., His work of dying for the sins of mankind] and gave up His spirit [i.e., to God. See Luke 23:46].

[So], Jesus went [over to them] and took the bread and fish and gave it to them.