[[But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."]] And they cast lots to divide his clothes.

Now the people stood by, watching; but even the rulers ridiculed and sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others [from death]; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) of God, His Chosen One.”

And these words were put in writing over him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

When all the multitudes who had gathered to witness this sight saw what had taken place, they beat their breasts, and returned home.

When all the crowds who had come together for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they beat their chests and left.

But all who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Now there was a man called Joseph, a member of council but a good and just man

Then, taking it down, he wrapped it in a linen sheet and laid it in a tomb in the rock, where no one else had yet been put.

And the women who had come with him from Galilee went after him and saw the place and how his body had been put to rest;

And they returned, and prepared odours, and ointments; but rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

But they found the stone rolled back from the tomb,

but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

The women were terrified; but, as they stood with their faces bowed to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you search among the dead for Him who is living?

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

The Son of man will be given up into the hands of evil-doers, and be put to death on the cross, and on the third day he will come back to life.

But their report seemed to them like idle talk and nonsense, and they would not believe them.

But Peter arose, and ran unto the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths by themselves; and he departed to his home, wondering at that which was come to pass.

But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

But one, by name Cleopas, answering, said unto him - Art, thou, lodging, alone, in Jerusalem, and knowest not the things which have come to pass therein in these days?

And how the chief priests and our rulers gave him up to be put to death on the cross.

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

But also some women from among us astonished us, who were at the tomb early in the morning,

and they did not find His body. Then they came back, saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive!

And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

But as soon as He had sat down with them, and had taken the bread and had blessed and broken it, and was handing it to them,

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight.

But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

but He said to them, "Why such alarm? And why are there such questionings in your minds?

See; my hands and my feet: it is I myself; put your hands on me and make certain; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.

But while they yet did not believe for joy, and were wondering, he said to them, Have ye anything here to eat?

And they gave him a bit of cooked fish.

And he said to them, These are the words which I said to you when I was still with you, how it was necessary for all the things which are in the writings of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms about me, to be put into effect.

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

He was in the world, the world which came into being through him, but the world had no knowledge of him.

He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John gave testimony concerning Him and cried aloud, saying, "This is He of whom I said, 'He who is coming after me has been put before me,' for He was before me."

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God [i.e., His full splendor], but God, the only conceived [and eventually born Son], who is at the Father's side, has shown us who He is.

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

So, they asked him, "Who then [are you]? Are you Elijah [i.e., returned from the dead]?" But he answered, "[No], I am not." "[Then], are you the prophet [i.e., Moses. See Deut. 18:15-19]?" they asked. And he answered, "No."

And they put this question to him, saying, Why then are you giving baptism if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet?

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

He is to become my successor, because He has been put before me, and I am not fit to untie His shoestrings."

This is He about whom I said, 'After me is to come One who has been put before me, because He was before me.'

And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

But Jesus having turned, and seeing them following, says to them, What seek ye? And they said to him, Rabbi (which, being interpreted, signifies Teacher), where abidest thou?

Then He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So, they went and saw where He was staying and they stayed with Him that day. It was about ten o'clock in the morning. [Note: Hour designations in this book are being calculated by Roman time, but this would have been

[Then] on the next day He [i.e., Jesus, but some think it refers to Peter or Andrew] decided to travel into Galilee, [and there] He found Philip. Jesus said to Philip, "Become my follower."

Nathaniel replied to him, "Can anything worthwhile come from Nazareth?" [Note: Nazareth had a bad reputation and Jewish writings made no prediction of a prophet coming from that area. See John 7:52]. Philip answered him, "Come and see."

upon which his mother bid the servants do whatever he should order.

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee and let his glory be seen openly; and his disciples put their faith in him.

After that, descended he into Capernaum, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: But continued not many days there.

But the Jewish Passover was approaching, and for this Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

and having made a whip of small cords, he put all forth out of the temple, also the sheep, and the oxen; and of the money-changers he poured out the coins, and the tables he overthrew,

which put his disciples in mind of that passage, "my zeal for thine house does prey upon me."

Then the Jews put this question to him: What sign of authority have you to give us, seeing that you do these things?

And Jesus said to them, Send destruction on this Temple and I will put it up again in three days.

The Jews said, The building of this Temple took forty-six years; and you will put it up in three days!

But he spake of the temple of his body.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in His name [identifying themselves with Him] after seeing His signs (attesting miracles) which He was doing.

But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

But there was a man from among the Pharisees, his name Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I tell you, a person cannot see the kingdom of God [i.e., enter it. See verse 5], unless he is born from above [Note: The words "from above" are also used in verse 31, but in this place they could also mean "again," or "anew" and refer to the source of a person's second birth].

“But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

the cleansing of the body is only external, but the purification of the spirit is spiritual.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

“I assure you: We speak what We know and We testify to what We have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony.

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

But even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil.

For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there; and people were coming and were being baptized—

For at this time John had not been put into prison.

John's answer was--"A man can gain nothing but what is given him from Heaven.

Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

The One who comes from above [i.e., Jesus] ranks over all [others]; but the one who is out of the earth [i.e., of human origin] is [merely] an earthly [being] and he speaks in earthly [ways]. [But] the One who comes from heaven [i.e., Jesus] ranks over all [others].

What He has seen and heard, to that He bears witness; but His testimony no one receives.

For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaiming the Father’s own message]; for God gives the [gift of the] Spirit without measure [generously and boundlessly]!

The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

So when the Lord learned that the Pharisees had been told that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John??2 though it was not Jesus himself who baptized them, but his disciples??3 he left Judea and went back again to Galilee.