John 9
1 And Jesus, while passing by, saw a man blind from birth.
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
“Rabbi,” asked his disciples, “who was it that sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus responded: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God would be made manifest in him.
“Neither the man nor the parents,” replied Jesus, “but he was born blind so that the work of God should be made plain in him.
4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day: the night is coming, when no one is able to work.
We must do the work of him who sent me, while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and he made clay from the spittle, and he smeared the clay over his eyes.
Saying this, Jesus spat on the ground, made some paste with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
7 And he said to him: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated as: one who has been sent). Therefore, he went away and washed, and he returned, seeing.
“Go,” he said, “and wash your eyes in the Bath of Siloam” (a word which means ‘messenger’). So the man went and washed his eyes, and returned able to see.
8 And so the bystanders and those who had seen him before, when he was a beggar, said, “Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?” Some said, “This is he.”
His neighbors, and those who had formerly known him by sight as a beggar, exclaimed, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?”
9 But others said, “Certainly not, but he is similar to him.” Yet truly, he himself said, “I am he.”
“Yes,” some said, “it is”; while others said, “No, but he is like him.” The man himself said, “I am he.”
10 Therefore, they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
“How did you get your sight, then?” they asked.
11 He responded: “That man who is called Jesus made clay, and he anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ And I went, and I washed, and I see.”
“The man whom they call Jesus,” he answered, “made a paste, and anointed my eyes, and said to me ‘Go to Siloam and wash your eyes.’ So I went and washed my eyes, and gained my sight.”
12 And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
“Where is he?” they asked. “I do not know,” he answered.
13 They brought the one who had been blind to the Pharisees.
They took the man, who had been blind, to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was the Sabbath, when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the paste and gave him his sight.
15 Therefore, again the Pharisees questioned him as to how he had seen. And he said to them, “He placed clay over my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
So the Pharisees also questioned the man as to how he had gained his sight. “He put a paste on my eyes,” he answered, “and I washed them, and I can see.”
16 And so certain Pharisees said: “This man, who does not keep the Sabbath, is not from God.” But others said, “How could a sinful man accomplish these signs?” And there was a schism among them.
“The man cannot be from God,” said some of the Pharisees, “for he does not keep the Sabbath.” “How is it possible,” retorted others, “for a bad man to give signs like this?”
17 Therefore, they spoke again to the blind man, “What do you say about him who opened your eyes?” Then he said, “He is a Prophet.”
So there was a difference of opinion among them, and they again questioned the man. “What do you yourself say about him, for it is to you that he has given sight?”
18 Therefore, the Jews did not believe, about him, that he had been blind and had seen, until they called the parents of him who had seen.
The religious authorities, however, refused to believe that he had been blind and had gained his sight, until they had called his parents and questioned them.
19 And they questioned them, saying: “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how is it that he now sees?”
“Is this your son,” they asked, “who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he can see now?”
20 His parents responded to them and said: “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
“We know that this is our son,” answered the parents, “and that he was born blind;
21 But how it is that he now sees, we do not know. And who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough. Let him speak for himself.”
but how it is that he can see now we do not know; nor do we know who it was that gave him his sight. Ask him – he is old enough – he will tell you about himself.”
22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already conspired, so that if anyone were to confess him to be the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue.
His parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the authorities; for the authorities had already agreed that, if anyone should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, he should be expelled from their synagogues.
23 It was for this reason that his parents said: “He is old enough. Ask him.”
This was why his parents said ‘He is old enough; ask him.’
24 Therefore, they again called the man who had been blind, and they said to him: “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
So the authorities again called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man.”
25 And so he said to them: “If he is a sinner, I do not know it. One thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I see.”
“I know nothing about his being a bad man,” he replied. “One thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I can see.”
26 Then they said to him: “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
“What did he do to you?” they asked. “How did he give you your sight?”
27 He answered them: “I have already told you, and you heard it. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
“I told you just now,” he answered, “and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Surely you also do not want to become his disciples?”
28 Therefore, they cursed him and said: “You be his disciple. But we are disciples of Moses.
“You are his disciple,” they retorted scornfully. “But we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But this man, we do not know where he is from.”
We know that God spoke to Moses; but, as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”
30 The man responded and said to them: “Now in this is a wonder: that you do not know where he is from, and yet he has opened my eyes.
“Well,” the man replied, “this is very strange; you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has given me my sight!
31 And we know that God does not hear sinners. But if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, then he heeds him.
We know that God never listens to bad people, but, when a person is god-fearing and does God’s will, God listens to them.
32 From ancient times, it has not been heard that anyone has opened the eyes of someone born blind. (aiōn g165)
Since the world began, such a thing was never heard of as anyone’s giving sight to a person born blind. (aiōn g165)
33 Unless this man were of God, he would not be able to do any such thing.”
If this man had not been from God, he could not have done anything at all.”
34 They responded and said to him, “You were born entirely in sins, and you would teach us?” And they cast him out.
“You,” they retorted, “were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?” So they expelled him.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
Jesus heard of their having put him out; and, when he had found the man, he asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 He responded and said, “Who is he, Lord, so that I may believe in him?”
“Tell me who he is, Sir,” he replied, “so that I may believe in him.”
37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and he is the one who is speaking with you.”
“Not only have you seen him,” said Jesus, “but it is he who is now speaking to you.”
38 And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And falling prostrate, he worshipped him.
“Then, Sir, I do believe,” said the man, bowing to the ground before him;
39 And Jesus said, “I came into this world in judgment, so that those who do not see, may see; and so that those who see, may become blind.”
and Jesus added, “It was to put people to the test that I came into this world, in order that those that cannot see should see, and that those that can see should become blind.”
40 And certain Pharisees, who were with him, heard this, and they said to him, “Are we also blind?”
Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said, “Then are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said to them: “If you were blind, you would not have sin. Yet now you say, ‘We see.’ So your sin persists.”
“If you had been blind,” replied Jesus, “you would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, you say ‘We can see,’ and so your sin remains.
