Now here is John's testimony. When the Jews of Jerusalem despatched priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?"

Then the Jews accosted him with the words, "What sign of authority have you to show us, for acting in this way?"

"This sanctuary took forty-six years to build," the Jews retorted, "and you are going to raise it up in three days!"

The Samaritan woman said, "What? You are a Jew, and you ask me for a drink ??me, a Samaritan!" (Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Now our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, whereas you Jews declare the proper place for worship is at Jerusalem."

You are worshipping something you do not know; we are worshipping what we do know ??for salvation comes from the Jews.

After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, "This is the sabbath, you have no right to be carrying your mat."

Off went the man and told the Jews it was Jesus who had healed him.

And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did things like this on the sabbath.

But this only made the Jews more eager to kill him, because he not merely broke the sabbath but actually spoke of God as his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

Now the Jews murmured at him for saying, "I am the bread which has come down from heaven."

The Jews then wrangled with one another, saying, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?"

After this Jesus moved about in Galilee; he would not move in Judaea, because the Jews were trying to kill him.

At the festival the Jews were in quest of him, saying, "Where is he?"

For fear of the Jews, however, nobody spoke of him in public.

placed after 5:47] The Jews were amazed, saying, "How can this uneducated fellow manage to read?"

The Jews said to themselves, "Where is he going, that we will not find him? Is he off to the Dispersion among the Greeks, to teach the Greeks?

So the Jews said, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I go, you cannot come'?"

So Jesus addressed the Jews who had believed him, saying, "If you abide by what I say, you are really disciples of mine:

The Jews retorted, "Are we not right in saying you are a Samaritan, you are mad?"

The Jews said to him, "Now we are sure you are mad. Abraham is dead, and so are all the prophets; and you declare, 'If anyone holds to what I say, he will never taste death'!

Then said the Jews to him, "You are not fifty years old, and Abraham has seen you?"

Now the Jews would not believe he had been born blind and had regained his sight, till they summoned the parents of the man who had regained his sight

(His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed him to be Christ should be excommunicated.

The Jews were again divided over these words.

So the Jews gathered round him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

The Jews again caught up stones to stone him.

The Jews retorted, "We mean to stone you, not for a good deed, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, make yourself God."

"Rabbi," said the disciples, "the Jews were trying to stone you only the other day; are you going back there?"

a number of Jews had gone to condole with Martha and Mary about their brother;

and when the Jews who were condoling with her inside the house noticed her rise hurriedly and go out, they followed her, as they imagined she was going to wail at the tomb.

Now when Jesus saw her wailing and saw the Jews who accompanied her wailing, he chafed in spirit and was disquieted.

Whereupon the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" ??37 though some of them asked, "Could he not have prevented him from dying, when he could open a blind man's eyes?"

Now a number of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and who witnessed what he had done, believed in him.

Accordingly Jesus no longer appeared in public among the Jews, but withdrew to the country adjoining the desert, to a town called Ephraim; there he stayed with the disciples.

Now the passover of the Jews was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem, to purify themselves before the passover.

Now the great mass of the Jews learned he was there, and they came not only on account of Jesus but to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.

since it was owing to him that a number of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

My dear children, I am only to be with you a little longer; then you will look for me, and, as I told the Jews I tell you now, where I go you cannot come.

and brought him first of all to Annas (for Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year ??14 the Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was for their interests that one man should die for the people).

Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews gather; I have said nothing in secret.

Then said Pilate, "Take him yourselves, and sentence him according to your own Law." The Jews said, "We have no right to put anyone to death"

So Pilate went back inside the praetorium and called Jesus, saying, "Then you are king of the Jews?"

Jesus replied, "My realm does not belong to this world; if my realm did belong to this world, my men would have fought to prevent me being handed over to the Jews. No, my realm lies elsewhere."

"Truth!" said Pilate, "what is truth!" With these words he went outside to the Jews again and told them, "I cannot find anything wrong about him.

But it is your custom that I should release a prisoner for you at the passover. Is it your will that I release you the king of the Jews?"

marching up to him and shouting, "Hail, king of the Jews!" ??and striking him.

The Jews retorted, "But we have a Law, and by [our] Law he is bound to die, because he has made himself out to be God's Son."

This made Pilate anxious to release him, but the Jews yelled, "If you release him, you are no friend of Caesar's! Anyone who makes himself a king is against Caesar!"

(it was the day of Preparation for the passover, about noon). "There is your king!" he said to the Jews.

Pilate had written an inscription to be put on the cross; what he wrote was, JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Now many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus had been crucified was close to the city; besides, the inscription was in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

So the Jewish high priests said to Pilate, "Do not write, THE KING OF THE JEWS; write, HE SAID I AM THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Now, as it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath (for that sabbath-day was a great day), the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus but a secret disciple ??for fear of the Jews ??asked Pilate for permission to remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate allowed him. So he went and removed the body,

On the evening of that same day ??the first day of the week ??though the disciples had gathered within closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus entered and stood among them, saying, "Peace be with you!"