John 15
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
“I am the vine, the true one, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 He cuts off every one of my branches that doesn't bear fruit. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so it can bear even more.
Any branch in me which does not produce fruit He lifts up, and every one producing fruit He prunes, so that it may produce more fruit.
3 You are already pruned and made clean through what I've told you.
You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it remains part of the vine, so it is for you: you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Abide in me and I in you. Just as a branch is incapable of producing fruit by itself, except it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me.
5 I'm the vine, you're the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit—for apart from me you can't do anything.
“I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who abides in me and I in him, he is the one who produces much fruit, because apart from me you are incapable of doing anything.
6 Anyone who doesn't remain in me is like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Such branches are gathered together, thrown into the fire and burned.
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown out, like a branch, and dries up; well they gather such and throw them into the fire, and he is burned up.
7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, then you can ask for whatever you want, and it will be given you.
If you abide in me and my sayings abide in you, you will ask whatever you desire and it will happen for you.
8 My Father is glorified as you produce much fruit, proving you are my disciples.
My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit; and you will become disciples to me.
9 As the Father loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love.
“Just as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love.
10 If you do what I say, you will remain in my love, just as I do what my Father says and remain in his love.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.
11 I've explained this to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
I have spoken these things to you so that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12 This is my command: love one another as I have loved you.
This is my commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you.
13 There is no greater love than to give your life for your friends.
No one has greater love than this, that someone should lay down his life for his friends.
14 You're my friends if you do what I tell you.
You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 I don't call you servants any longer, for servants are not taken into their master's confidence. I call you friends, for everything my Father told me I've explained to you.
“I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his owner is doing; rather I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I heard from my Father.
16 You didn't choose me, I chose you. I have given you the responsibility to go and produce lasting fruit. So the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
It was not you who chose me but I who chose you, and I appointed you so that you should go and produce fruit, and that your fruit should endure, so that whatever you may ask the Father in my name He may give you.
17 This is my command to you: love one another.
These things I command you so that you love one another.
18 If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before it hated you.
“When the world hates you, you can be sure that it has hated me first.
19 If you were part of this world, it would love you as its own. But you're not part of the world, and I chose you out of the world—that's why the world hates you.
If you were of the world, the world would be fond of its own. So because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, that is why the world hates you.
20 Remember what I told you: servants aren't more important than their master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. If they did what I told them, they will do what you tell them too.
Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his owner.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21 But everything they do to you will be because of me, for they don't know the one who sent me.
Now they will do all of these things to you because of my name, in that they do not know the One who sent me.
22 If I hadn't come and spoken to them, they wouldn't be guilty of sin—but now they have no excuse for their sin.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be having sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Anyone who hates me hates my Father as well.
The one who hates me hates my Father too.
24 If I had not given them such a demonstration through things that no one had ever done before, they wouldn't be guilty of sin, but despite seeing all this they hated both me and my Father.
If I had not done among them the works that no one else has done, they would not be having sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this just fulfilled what Scripture says, ‘They hated me for no reason at all.’
However, this was so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’
26 But I will send you the Comforter from the Father. When he comes, he will give evidence about me. He is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father.
“Now when the Enabler comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of the Truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify concerning me.
27 You will also give evidence about me because you were with me from the beginning.
And you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
