John 9

1 And as he passed by, he 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 was born blind?"

“Rabbi,” asked his disciples, “who was it that sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Yeshua answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed 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 We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.

We must do the work of him who sent me, while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

5 While 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 this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man's eyes with the mud,

Saying this, Jesus spat on the ground, made some paste with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.

7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Shilukha" (which means "Sent"). So he went away, washed, and came back 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 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was a beggar before, said, "Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?"

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 Some said, "It is he." Others said, "He looks like him." He 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 They therefore were asking him, "How were your eyes opened?"

“How did you get your sight, then?” they asked.

11 He answered, "A man called Yeshua made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Shilukha, and wash.' So I went away and washed, and I received sight."

“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 Then they asked him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

“Where is he?” they asked. “I do not know,” he answered.

13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.

They took the man, who had been blind, to the Pharisees.

14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Yeshua made the mud and opened his eyes.

Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the paste and gave him his sight.

15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, 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 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was division 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 asked the blind man again, "What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?" 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 The Jewish leaders therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,

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 asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

“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 answered them, "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 he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him. He will 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 feared the Jewish leaders; for the Jewish leaders had already agreed that if anyone would confess him as the Meshikha, he would be put out of 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 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age. Ask him."

This was why his parents said ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

24 So they called the man who was blind a second time, and 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 He therefore answered, "I do not know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though 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 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 told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You do not also want to become his disciples, do you?"

“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 They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Mushe.

“You are his disciple,” they retorted scornfully. “But we are disciples of Moses.

29 We know that God has spoken to Mushe. But as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."

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

30 The man answered them, "How amazing. You do not know where he comes from, yet he 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 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to 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 Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone 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 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

If this man had not been from God, he could not have done anything at all.”

34 They answered him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" They threw him out.

“You,” they retorted, “were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?” So they expelled him.

35 Yeshua heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

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 answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"

“Tell me who he is, Sir,” he replied, “so that I may believe in him.”

37 Yeshua said to him, "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you."

“Not only have you seen him,” said Jesus, “but it is he who is now speaking to you.”

38 He said, "Lord, I believe." and he worshiped him.

“Then, Sir, I do believe,” said the man, bowing to the ground before him;

39 Yeshua said, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who do not see may see; and 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 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"

Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said, “Then are we blind too?”

41 Yeshua said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

“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.