John 7
1 After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
After those things happened, Jesus went around in Galilee [province]. He did not want to travel in Judea [province], because he knew that the Jewish [leaders there] were wanting to kill him.
2 However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.
But when the time of the Jewish celebration [called] ‘Celebration of [Living in] Shelters’ was near,
3 So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
Jesus’ [younger] brothers said to him, “[Since many people] here [have left you], you should leave and go to Judea [province and perform] some miracles there, so that your disciples may see them!
4 For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”
No one who wants to become famous does things secretly. [You say] you are doing these miracles, [so do some miracles there] so that everyone [MTY] can see them!”
5 For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.
[They said this critically], because even [though they were] his own [younger] brothers, they did not believe he [was from God].
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.
So Jesus said to them, “It is not yet time for me [MTY] [to go to the celebration]. For you, any time is right [to go to the celebration].
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.
[The people] [MTY] [who] ([do not believe in me/do not belong to God]) cannot hate you, but they hate me because I tell them that what they are doing is evil.
8 Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”
You [(pl)] go ahead to the celebration. I am not going up [to Jerusalem] to the celebration [yet], because now is not the right time for me [to go].”
9 Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee.
After he said that, Jesus stayed [a little longer] in Galilee.
10 But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.
However, [a few days] after his younger brothers left to go up to the celebration, he went also. He went, along with [us] disciples, but no others went with us.
11 So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”
At the celebration, the Jewish [leaders] were looking for him. They were asking people, “Has Jesus come?”
12 Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”
Among the crowds, many people were whispering about Jesus. Some were saying, “He is a good man!” But others were saying instead, “No! He is deceiving the crowds!”
13 Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for fear of the Jews.
But no one was speaking so that others could hear them, because they were afraid of the Jewish [leaders] [SYN].
14 About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach.
In the middle of the days of the celebration, Jesus went to the Temple [courtyard] and began to teach people.
15 The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man attain such learning without having studied?”
The Jewish [elders] were amazed [at what he was saying]. They said, “This man never studied [in one of our religious schools]! So (how can he have learned [so much about Scripture]?/it is difficult for us to believe that he has learned [so much about Scripture]!) [RHQ]”
16 “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me.
Jesus replied to them, “What I teach does not come from myself. It comes from [God], the one who sent me.
17 If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
Those who choose to do what God wants will find out whether what I teach comes from God or whether I am speaking with [only] my own [authority].
18 He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.
Those who speak with [only] their own [authority] do that [only] so that others will honor them. But I am [doing things so that others] will honor the one who sent me, and I am someone who speaks the truth. I never lie.
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”
[Think about] the laws that Moses gave you [RHQ]. None of you [completely] obeys those laws. So why are you trying to kill me, [saying I do not obey the laws concerning] ([the Sabbath/the Jewish day of rest])?”
20 “You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”
Someone in the crowd answered, “[By saying this you show that] you are crazy (OR, A demon is controlling you)! Certainly no one is trying to kill you!”
21 Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.
Jesus replied to them, “Because I did a miracle [of healing someone] (on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day), you are all shocked.
22 But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.)
Moses gave you [a law that you must] circumcise [the male children and that you must do that exactly seven days after they are born. Actually], it was your ancestors, [Abraham and Isaac and Jacob], not Moses, who [started that ritual]. But because of that law, you sometimes circumcise them (on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day), [but that is working, too]
23 If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?
You [sometimes] circumcise boys (on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day) so that the law of Moses is not disobeyed {[you] do not disobey the law of Moses}, so (it is ridiculous that you are angry with me, saying [I worked] (on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day) by healing a man!/why are you angry with me, saying [I worked] (on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day) by healing a man?) [RHQ] [Healing someone is far more helpful than circumcising a baby boy]!
24 Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
Stop deciding whether my healing this man is wrong according to what you see! Instead, decide according to what is really the right action [to help people]”!
25 Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
Some of the people from Jerusalem were saying, “(This is the man that they are trying to kill!/Isn’t this the man that they are trying to kill?) [RHQ]
26 Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ?
He is saying these things (publicly/in front of many people), but our [Jewish] rulers are not saying anything to [oppose] him. Is that because they have decided that he is truly (the Messiah/God’s chosen king)?
27 But we know where this man is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”
But [he cannot be the Messiah, because] we know where this man came from. When the Messiah really comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him,
[They said that because they thought Jesus was born in Nazareth]. So while Jesus was teaching [people] in the Temple [courtyard], he shouted, “Yes, [you say that] you know me, and [you think] you know [IRO] where I am from. But I have come here not (because I appointed myself/with my own authority). Instead, [God] is the one who truly sent me. You do not know him.
29 but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”
But I know him, because I have come from him. He is the one who sent me!”
30 So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Then they tried to seize him [because he said that he had come from God]. But no one put their hands on him [to do that], because it was not yet the time [MTY] [for him to die].
31 Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He perform more signs than this man?”
But many of the crowd believed that he [had come from God]. They said, “When the Messiah comes, he certainly will not do more miracles than this man has done, will he?”
32 When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.
The Pharisees heard them whispering these things about him. So they and the chief priests sent some Temple guards to seize him.
33 So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me.
Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a short time. Then I will return to the one who sent me.
34 You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
Then you will search for me, but you will not find me. And you will not be able to come to the place where I am.”
35 At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
So the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] said to themselves, “Where is this man about to go with the result that we will not be able to find him? [Some Jewish people have] dispersed [and live] among Greek people. He is not intending to go [and live among them] and teach them, is he?
36 What does He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
When he said ‘You will search for me, but you will not be able to find me,’ and when he said ‘You will not be able to come to the place where I am,’ what [did he mean]?”
37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
[On each of the seven days of the celebration, the high priest poured out some water on the altar in the Temple to remember how God provided water for the people in the desolate area long ago. But the water he poured did not help anyone who was thirsty. So] on the last day of the festival, which was the most important day, Jesus stood up [in the Temple courtyard] and said with a loud voice, “Those who are thirsty should come to me to drink [what I will give them].
38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
Just like the Scriptures teach, streams of water shall flow out from within those who believe in me, and that water will cause them to live [eternally].”
39 He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
When Jesus said that, he was referring to [God’s] Spirit, whom those who believed in Jesus would receive later. Up to that time God had not sent the Spirit [to live within believers], because Jesus had not yet [died and returned to his] glorious [home in] heaven, [from where he would send the Spirit].
40 On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
When some of the crowd heard those words, they said, “Surely this man is the prophet [whom God promised to send who would be like Moses]!”
41 Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
Others said, “He is the Messiah!” But others, [thinking Jesus was born in Galilee], said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee [province], will he?
42 Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
(Did [a prophet] not write in the Scriptures that the Messiah will come from [King] David’s family, and be born in Bethlehem, where [King] David lived?/[It is written] in the Scriptures that the Messiah will come from [King] David’s family, and be born in Bethlehem, where [King] David lived!) [RHQ]”
43 So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus.
So the people were divided because of [what they thought about] Jesus.
44 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.
Some people wanted to seize him, but no one tried [to do that].
45 Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”
So the Temple guards returned to the chief priests and the Pharisees, [the ones who had sent them to arrest Jesus]. They said to the guards, “Why did you not [seize him and] bring him [here]?”
46 “Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
They replied, “No one ever spoke such [amazing things] as this man does!”
47 “Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.
Then the Pharisees replied, “Have you been deceived {Has [he] deceived you}, too?
48 “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?
(None of our rulers nor any of us Pharisees have believed that (he [is the Messiah]!/he [came from God]!)/Have any of our [Jewish] rulers or any of us Pharisees believed that (he [is the Messiah]?/he [came from God]?)) [RHQ]
49 But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”
Not one! But, on the contrary, some of this crowd [have believed in him]. They do not know [the true teachings of] our laws! They will go to hell [for listening to him]!” (questioned)
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
Then Nicodemus spoke. He was the one who earlier went to Jesus [at night]. He was also a member of the Jewish council. He said to [the rest of the Council members],
51 “Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
“[We] have not listened to what he says to find out what he is doing. (It is not permitted in our [Jewish] law [PRS] for us to say, before questioning someone, that we must punish him!/Is it permitted in our [Jewish] law [PRS] for us to say, before questioning someone, that we must punish him?) [RHQ]”
52 “Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
They replied to him, “(Are you another [disgusting person] from Galilee?/[You talk like] another [disgusting person] from Galilee!) [RHQ] Read [what is written in the Scriptures] You will find that no prophet comes from Galilee [province, like he does]!”
53 Then each went to his own home.
[Then they all left and went to their own homes.
