< Yochanan 15 >
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and withers; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
8 "In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my talmidim.
9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and remain in his love.
11 I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17 "I command these things to you, that you may love one another.
18 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do to you because of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 He who hates me hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.
25 But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'
26 "When the Helper has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Ruach of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.
27 And you will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.