John 9

1 As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth.

Now as He was passing by He saw a man blind from birth.

2 ‘Rabbi,’ asked his disciples, ‘who was it that sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’

And His disciples asked Him saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, in that he was born blind?”

3 ‘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.

Jesus answered: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

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

I must accomplish the works 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.’

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

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

Upon saying these things He spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud on the blind man's eyes.

7 ‘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.

And He said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, ‘Sent’). So he went and washed, and came away seeing!

8 His neighbours, and those who had formerly known him by sight as a beggar, exclaimed, ‘Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?’

Then the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind started saying, “Isn't this the man who sat begging?”

9 ‘Yes,’ some said, ‘it is’; while others said, ‘No, but he is like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am he.’

Others said, “This is he”; still others, “He is like him.” He kept saying, “I'm the one!”

10 ‘How did you get your sight, then?’ they asked.

So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11 ‘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.’

He answered and said: “A man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So when I went and washed, I saw!”

12 ‘Where is he?’ they asked. ‘I do not know,’ he answered.

Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He says, “I don't know.”

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

They bring the man who was formerly blind to the Pharisees.

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

(Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.)

15 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.’

So once again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. So he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

16 ‘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?’

Then some of the Pharisees said, “This man cannot be from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath,” Others were saying, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

17 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?’

So they address the blind man again, “What do you say about him, in that he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 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.

However the Jews did not believe concerning him that he was blind and received sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had received sight.

19 ‘Is this your son,’ they asked, ‘who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he can see now?’

And they asked them saying: “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20 ‘We know that this is our son,’ answered the parents, ‘and that he was born blind;

So his parents answered them and said: “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

21 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.’

but by what means he now sees we don't know, or who opened his eyes we don't know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.”

22 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.

His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, because the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ he would be barred from the synagogue.

23 This was why his parents said “He is old enough; ask him.”

That is why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 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.’

So they summoned the man who had been blind a second time and said to him: “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”

25 ‘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.’

So he answered and said: “That He is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know, that having been blind I now see!”

26 ‘What did he do to you?’ they asked. ‘How did he give you your sight?’

So they said to him again: “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 ‘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?’

He answered them: “I already told you and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don't want to become His disciples too, do you?”

28 ‘You are his disciple,’ they retorted scornfully. ‘But we are disciples of Moses.

They reviled him and said: “You are that fellow's disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.

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

We know that God spoke to Moses; but this fellow—we don't know where he's from.”

30 ‘Well,’ the man replied, ‘this is very strange; you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has given me my sight!

The man answered and said to them: “Why, this is remarkable—you don't know where He is from; yet He opened my eyes!

31 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.

Now we know that God doesn't listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, to him He listens.

32 Since the world began, such a thing was never heard of as anyone’s giving sight to a person born blind. (aiōn g165)

Since time began it was never heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. (aiōn g165)

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

If this man were not from God he would not be able to do anything.”

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

They answered and said to him, “You were totally born in sins, and you are teaching us?” And they expelled him.

35 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?’

Jesus heard that they had expelled him, and finding him He said to him, “Do you believe into the Son of God?”

36 ‘Tell me who he is, Sir,’ he replied, ‘so that I may believe in him.’

He answered and said, “And who is He, Lord, that I may believe into Him?”

37 ‘Not only have you seen him,’ said Jesus, ‘but it is he who is now speaking to you.’

So Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and He is the One who is speaking with you.”

38 ‘Then, Sir, I do believe,’ said the man, bowing to the ground before him;

So he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

39 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.’

And Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who ‘see’ may become blind.”

40 Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said, ‘Then are we blind too?’

And some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, “We aren't blind too, are we?”

41 ‘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.

Jesus said to them: “If you were ‘blind’ you would not have sin. But now you say, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.