John 9

1 And Jesus passing by, saw a man, who was blind from his birth:

As He passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?

So His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned--this man or his parents--that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

"Neither he nor his parents sinned," answered Jesus, "but he was born blind in order that God's mercy might be openly shown in him.

4 I must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

We must do the works of Him who sent me while there is daylight. Night is coming on, when no one can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

When 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 made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay on his eyes,

After thus speaking, He spat on the ground, and then, kneading the dust and spittle into clay, He smeared the clay over the man's eyes and said to him,

7 And said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, which is interpreted, Sent. He went therefore, and washed, and he came seeing.

"Go and wash in the pool of Siloam" --the name means 'Sent.' So he went and washed his eyes, and returned able to see.

8 The neighbours therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said: This is he.

His neighbours, therefore, and the other people to whom he had been a familiar object because he was a beggar, began asking, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

9 But others said: No, but he is like him. But he said: I am he.

"Yes it is," replied some of them. "No it is not," said others, "but he is like him." His own statement was, "I am the man."

10 They said therefore to him: How were thy eyes opened?

"How then were your eyes opened?" they asked.

11 He answered: That man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see.

"He whose name is Jesus," he answered, "made clay and smeared my eyes with it, and then told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and obtained sight."

12 And they said to him: Where is he? He saith: I know not.

"Where is he?" they inquired, but the man did not know.

13 They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees.

They brought him to the Pharisees--the man who had been blind.

14 Now it was the sabbath, when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

Now the day on which Jesus made the clay and opened the man's eyes was the Sabbath.

15 Again therefore the Pharisees asked him, how he had received his sight. But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see.

So the Pharisees renewed their questioning as to how he had obtained his sight. "He put clay on my eyes," he replied, "and I washed, and now I can see."

16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, who keepeth not the sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

This led some of the Pharisees to say, "That man has not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." "How is it possible for a bad man to do such miracles?" argued others.

17 They say therefore to the blind man again: What sayest thou of him that hath opened they eyes? And he said: He is a prophet.

And there was a division among them. So again they asked the once blind man, "What is your account of him? --for he opened your eyes." "He is a Prophet," he replied.

18 The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,

The Jews, however, did not believe the statement concerning him--that he had been blind and had obtained his sight--until they called his parents and asked them,

19 And asked them, saying: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then doth he now see?

"Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it then that he can now see?"

20 His parents answered them, and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:

"We know," replied the parents, "that this is our son and that he was born blind;

21 But how he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: ask himself: he is of age, let him speak for himself.

but how it is that he can now see or who has opened his eyes we do not know. Ask him himself; he is of full age; he himself will give his own account of it."

22 These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves, that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

Such was their answer, because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already settled among themselves that if any one should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, he should be excluded from the synagogue.

23 Therefore did his parents say: He is of age, ask himself.

That was why his parents said, "He is of full age: ask him himself."

24 They therefore called the man again that had been blind, and said to him: Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.

A second time therefore they called the man who had been blind, and said, "Give God the praise: we know that that man is a sinner."

25 He said therefore to them: If he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.

"Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know," he replied; "one thing I know--that I was once blind and that now I can see."

26 They said then to him: What did he to thee? How did he open thy eyes?

"What did he do to you?" they asked; "how did he open your eyes?"

27 He answered them: I have told you already, and you have heard: why would you hear it again? will you also become his disciples?

"I have told you already," he replied, "and you did not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also mean to be disciples of his?"

28 They reviled him therefore, and said: Be thou his disciple; but we are the disciples of Moses.

Then they railed at him, and said, "You are that man's disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

29 We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence he is.

We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this fellow we do not know where he comes from."

30 The man answered, and said to them: Why, herein is a wonderful thing, that you know not from whence he is, and he hath opened my eyes.

"Why, this is marvellous!" the man replied; "you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has opened my eyes!

31 Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth his will, him he heareth.

We know that God does not listen to bad people, but that if any one is a God-fearing man and obeys Him, to him He listens.

32 From the beginning of the world it hath not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. (aiōn g165)

From the beginning of the world such a thing was never heard of as that any one should open the eyes of a man blind from his birth. (aiōn g165)

33 Unless this man were of God, he could not do any thing.

Had that man not come from God, he could have done nothing."

34 They answered, and said to him: Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

"You," they replied, "were wholly begotten and born in sin, and do you teach us?" And they put him out of the synagogue.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said to him: Dost thou believe in the Son of God?

Jesus heard that they had done this. So having found him, He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

36 He answered, and said: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?

"Who is He, Sir?" replied the man. "Tell me, so that I may believe in Him."

37 And Jesus said to him: Thou hast both seen him; and it is he that talketh with thee.

"You have seen Him," said Jesus; "and not only so: He is now speaking to you."

38 And he said: I believe, Lord. And falling down, he adored him.

"I believe, Sir," he said. And he threw himself at His feet.

39 And Jesus said: For judgment I am come into this world; that they who see not, may see; and they who see, may become blind.

"I came into this world," said Jesus, "to judge men, that those who do not see may see, and that those who do see may become blind."

40 And some of the Pharisees, who were with him, heard: and they said unto him: Are we also blind?

These words were heard by those of the Pharisees who were present, and they asked Him, "Are we also blind?"

41 Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you should not have sin: but now you say: We see. Your sin remaineth.

"If you were blind," answered Jesus, "you would have no sin; but as a matter of fact you boast that you see. So your sin remains!"