In him life lay, and this life was the Light for men:

he came for the purpose of witnessing, to bear testimony to the Light, so that all men might believe by means of him.

(John testified to him with the cry, 'This was he of whom I said, my successor has taken precedence of me, for he preceded me.')

For we have all been receiving grace after grace from his fulness;

"Then who are you?" they said; "tell us, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. What have you to say for yourself?"

He said, "I am the voice of one who cries in the desert, 'level the way for the Lord' ??as the prophet Isaiah said."

That is he of whom I said, 'The man who is to succeed me has taken precedence of me, for he preceded me.'

He said to them, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he stayed, and stayed with him the rest of that day ??it was then about four in the afternoon.

Next day Jesus determined to leave for Galilee; there he met Philip and told him, "Follow me."

Now six stone water-jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of 'purification,' each holding about twenty gallons.

After this he travelled down to Capharnahum, with his mother and brothers and his disciples; they stayed there for a few days.

(His disciples recalled the scripture saying, I am consumed with zeal for thy house.)

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

he came one night to Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we know you have come from God to teach us, for no one could perform these Signs of yours unless God were with him."

For God loved the world so dearly that he gave up his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life, instead of perishing.

He who believes in him is not sentenced; he who will not believe is sentenced already, for having refused to believe in the name of the only Son of God.

for anyone whose practices are corrupt loathes the light and will not come out into it, in case his actions are exposed,

He who comes from above is far above all others; he who springs from earth belongs to earth and speaks of earth; he who comes from heaven [is far above all others.

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God ??God gives him the Spirit in no sparing measure;

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.)

Jesus answered, "If you knew what is the free gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him instead, and he would have given you 'living' water."

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.

But the time is coming, it has come already, when the real worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in reality; for these are the worshippers that the Father wants.

You have a saying, have you not, 'Four months yet, then harvest'? Look round, I tell you; see, the fields are white for harvesting!

The reaper is already getting his wages and harvesting for eternal life, so that the sower shares the reaper's joy.

I sent you to reap a crop for which you did not toil; other men have toiled, and you reap the profit of their toil."

and far more of them believed on account of what he said himself.

As they told the woman, "We no longer believe on account of what you said; we have heard for ourselves, we know that he is really the Saviour of the world."

When the two days were over, he left for Galilee

(for Jesus himself testified that a prophet enjoys no honour in his own country);

on reaching Galilee, he was welcomed by the Galileans, who had seen all he did at the festival in Jerusalem ??for they too had gone to the festival.

This was the second Sign which Jesus performed again after leaving Judaea for Galilee.

where a crowd of invalids used to lie, the blind, the lame, and folk with shrivelled limbs [waiting for the water to bubble.

For an angel used to descend from time to time into the bath, and disturb the water; whereupon the first person who stepped in after the water was disturbed was restored to health, no matter what disease he had been afflicted with].

Jesus saw him lying, and knowing he had been ill for a long while he said to him, "Do you want your health restored?"

Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for (owing to the crowd on the spot) Jesus had slipped away.

So Jesus made this answer to them: "Truly, truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, nothing but what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, the Son also does the same.

for as the Father raises the dead and makes them live, so the Son makes anyone live whom he chooses.

for as the Father has life in himself, so too he has granted the Son to have life in himself,

Do not wonder at this; for there is a time coming when all who are in the tombs will listen to his voice

and come out, the doers of good to be raised to life, ill-doers to be raised for the sentence of judgment.

I have Another to bear testimony to me, and I know the evidence he bears for me is valid.

he was a burning and a shining lamp, and you chose to rejoice for a while in his light.

But I possess a testimony greater than that of John, for the deeds which the Father has granted me to accomplish, the very deeds on which I am engaged, are my testimony that the Father has sent me.

You search the scriptures, imagining you possess eternal life in their pages ??and they do testify to me ??40 but you refuse to come to me for life.

For if you believed Moses you would believe me, since it was of me that he wrote.

On looking up and seeing a large crowd approaching, he said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for all these people to eat?"

(He said this to test Philip, for he knew what he was going to do himself.)

Philip answered, "Seven pounds' worth of bread would not be enough for them, for everybody to get even a morsel."

and embarking in a boat they started across the sea for Capharnahum. By this time it was dark, Jesus had not reached them yet,

After rowing about three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the sea and nearing the boat. They were terrified,

but he said to them, "It is I, have no fear";

so they agreed to take him on board, and the boat instantly reached the land they were making for.

and as the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they embarked in the boats themselves and made for Capharnahum in search of Jesus.

Work for no perishing food, but for that lasting food which means eternal life; the Son of man will give you that, for the Father, God, has certified him."

Then said Jesus, "What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven ??33 for the bread of God is what comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

for I have come down from heaven not to carry out my own will but the will of him who sent me,

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

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and more, the bread I will give is my flesh, given for the life of the world."

for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Such is the bread which has come down from heaven: your ancestors ate their bread and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live for ever."

And yet there are some of you who do not believe" (for Jesus knew from the very first who the unbelieving were, and who was to betray him;

(He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot; for Judas was to betray him ??and he was one of the twelve.)

for nobody who aims at public recognition ever keeps his actions secret. Since you can do these deeds, display yourself to the world"

(for even his brothers did not believe in him).

Go up to the festival yourselves; I am not going up to this festival, for my time has not arrived yet."

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

Well, if a man gets circumcised upon the sabbath, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, are you enraged at me for curing, not cutting, the entire body of a man upon the sabbath?

you will search for me but you will not find me, and where I go, you cannot come."

What does he mean by saying, 'You will search for me but you will not find me, and where I go, you cannot come'?"

As for this mob, with its ignorance of the Law ??it is accursed!"

Then he said to them again, "I go away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin; where I go, you cannot come."

So I told you, you would die in your sins; for unless you believe who I am, you will die in your sins."

He who sent me is at my side; he has not left me alone; for I always do what pleases him."

you will understand the truth, and the truth will set you free."

"We are Abraham's offspring," they retorted, "we have never been slaves to anybody. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be free'?"

Now the slave does not remain in the household for all time; the son of the house does.

So, if the Son sets you free, you will be really free.

Said Jesus, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I came here from God; I did not come of my own accord, I was sent by him.

You belong to your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires; he was a slayer of men from the very beginning, and he has no place in the truth because there is no truth in him: when he tells a lie, he is expressing his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

However, I do not aim at my own credit; there is One who cares for my credit, and he is judge.

and his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, for whose sin ??for his own or for his parents' ??was he born blind?"

Jesus replied, "Neither for his own sin nor for his parents' ??it was to let the work of God be illustrated in him.

When I am in the world, I am light for the world."

Then said some of the Pharisees, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath"; others said, "How can a sinner perform such Signs?" They were divided on this.

So they asked the blind man once more, "What have you to say about him, for opening your eyes?" The man replied, "I say he is a prophet."

But how he can see to-day, we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask himself; he is of age, he can speak for himself."

(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.

Then said Jesus, "It is for judgment that I have come into this world, to make the sightless see, to make the seeing blind."

The gate-keeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice; he calls his sheep by name and leads them out.

I am the good shepherd; a good shepherd lays down his own life for the sheep.

(just as the Father knows me and I know the Father,) and I lay down my life for the sheep.

No one takes it from me, I lay it down of my own accord: I have power to lay it down and also power to take it up again; I have my Father's orders for this.

Jesus replied, "I have let you see many a good deed of God; for which of them do you mean to stone me?"

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

So, when he heard of the illness, he stayed where he was for two days; then,

Jesus replied, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If one walks during the day he does not stumble, for he sees the light of this world:

but if one walks during the night he does stumble, for the light is not in him."

and for your sakes I am glad I was not there, that you may believe. Come now, let us go to him."