John 11
1 Now a certain man, named Lazarus, of Bethany, was lying ill-- Bethany being the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
[One time] there was a man whose name was Lazarus who was [very] sick. He lived in Bethany [village], where his [older] sisters Mary and Martha also lived.
2 (It was the Mary who poured the perfume over the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.)
Mary was the woman who [later] poured perfume on the feet of the Lord [Jesus], and then wiped his feet with her hair.
3 So the sisters sent to Him to say, "Master, he whom you hold dear is ill."
So the two sisters sent [someone to tell] Jesus [about Lazarus], saying, “Lord, the one you love [very much] is very sick.”
4 Jesus received the message and said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is to promote the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified by it."
[They hoped that Jesus would come], but when Jesus heard the message, he said, “His being sick will not end in his dying. Instead, it will result in [people realizing] how great God is, and that I, God’s son, may be honored {that people may honor me, God’s son}, because of [what I will do].”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
Jesus loved Martha and her [younger] sister [Mary] and Lazarus.
6 When, however, He heard that Lazarus was ill, He still remained two days in that same place.
But when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed [where he was] for two more days.
7 Then, after that, He said to the disciples, "Let us return to Judaea."
But Jesus [wanted to see Lazarus]. So he said to us disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 "Rabbi," exclaimed the disciples, "the Jews have just been trying to stone you, and do you think of going back there again?"
We said, “Teacher, just a short while ago the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] wanted to [kill you by] throwing stones at you. So ([we think that you should not] go back there again!/[are you sure that you want to] go back there again?) [RHQ]”
9 "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" replied Jesus. "If any one walks in the daytime, he does not stumble--because he sees the light of this world.
[To show us that nothing bad could happen to him until the time that God had chosen] [MET], Jesus replied, “There are [RHQ] twelve hours in the daytime, [which is enough time to do what God wants us to do]. People who walk in the daytime will not stumble [over things they cannot see], because they see things by the light from the sun.
10 But if a man walks by night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him."
It is when people walk in the nighttime that they stumble over things, because they have no light.”
11 He said this, and afterwards He added, "Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I will go and wake him."
After he said that, he told us, “Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep. But I will go there so that I can wake him up.”
12 "Master," said the disciples, "if he is asleep he will recover."
So we said to him, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well. [So you do not need to risk your life by going there].”
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought He referred to the rest taken in ordinary sleep.
Jesus was speaking [figuratively] about Lazarus’ death, but we thought that he was talking about really being asleep.
14 So then He told them plainly,
So then he told us plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 "Lazarus is dead; and for your sakes I am glad I was not there, in order that you may believe. But let us go to him."
But for your sake I am glad that I was not there [when he died], because I want you to believe [more firmly that I] ([am the Messiah/came from God]). So now, [instead of staying here], let’s go to him.”
16 "Let us go also," Thomas, the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "that we may die with him."
Then Thomas, who was {whom they} called ‘The Twin’, said to the rest of us disciples, “Let’s all go, so that we may die with Jesus [when his enemies kill him].”
17 On His arrival Jesus found that Lazarus had already been three days in the tomb.
When we arrived [close to Bethany], someone told Jesus that Lazarus [had died and had been buried and his body had] been in the tomb for four days.
18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, the distance being a little less than two miles;
Bethany is less than (two miles/three kilometers) from Jerusalem.
19 and a considerable number of the Jews were with Martha and Mary, having come to express sympathy with them on the death of their brother.
Many Jews had come [from Jerusalem] to console Martha and Mary over [the death of] their [younger] brother.
20 Martha, however, as soon as she heard the tidings, "Jesus is coming," went to meet Him; but Mary remained sitting in the house.
When Martha heard [someone say] that Jesus was coming, she went [along the road] to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.
21 So Martha came and spoke to Jesus. "Master, if you had been here," she said, "my brother would not have died.
When Martha [got to where Jesus was], she said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died [because you would have healed him]!
22 And even now I know that whatever you ask God for, God will give you."
But I know that even now God will do for you whatever you ask [concerning my brother].”
23 "Your brother shall rise again," replied Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will become alive again!”
24 "I know," said Martha, "that he will rise again at the resurrection, on the last day."
Martha said to him, “I know that he will become alive again when all people become alive again on the [Judgment] day.”
25 "I am the Resurrection and the Life," said Jesus; "he who believes in me, even if he has died, he shall live;
Jesus said to her, “I am the one who [enables people to] become alive again and who [causes people to] live [eternally]. Those who believe in me, even if they die, will live [again].
26 and every one who is living and is a believer in me shall never, never die. Do you believe this?" (aiōn g165)
Furthermore, all those who believe in me while they are alive, [their souls] will not die [forever]. Do you believe that?” (aiōn g165)
27 "Yes, Master," she replied; "I thoroughly believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
She said to him, “Yes, Lord! I believe that you are the Messiah, (the Son of God/the man who is also God). You are the one [God promised to send] into the world!”
28 After saying this, she went and called her sister Mary privately, telling her, "The Rabbi is here and is asking for you."
After she said that, she returned [to the house] and took her [younger] sister, Mary, aside and said to her, “The Teacher is close [to our village], and he wants to talk to you.”
29 So she, on hearing that, rose up quickly to go to Him.
When Mary heard that, she got up quickly and went to him.
30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.
Jesus had not yet entered the village; he was still at the place where Martha met him.
31 So the Jews who were with Mary in the house sympathizing with her, when they saw that she had risen hastily and had gone out, followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep aloud there.
The Jews who were in the house with Mary, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go outside. So they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb [where they had buried Lazarus], in order to cry there.
32 Mary then, when she came to Jesus and saw Him, fell at His feet and exclaimed, "Master, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
When Mary got to where Jesus was and saw him, she prostrated herself at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my [younger] brother would not have died!”
33 Seeing her weeping aloud, and the Jews in like manner weeping who had come with her, Jesus, curbing the strong emotion of His spirit,
When Jesus saw her crying, and saw that the Jews who had come with her were also crying, he was very angry [that Satan had caused Lazarus to die] (OR, very troubled) and disturbed in his spirit.
34 though deeply troubled, asked them, "Where have you laid him?" "Master, come and see," was their reply.
He said, “Where have you buried (him/his body)?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
Jesus began to cry.
36 "See how dear he held him," said the Jews.
Then [some of] the Jews said, “Look how much he loved Lazarus!”
37 But others of them asked, "Was this man who opened the blind man's eyes unable to prevent this man from dying?"
But some others said, “He enabled a blind man to see. So (he should have been able to [heal this man so that] he did not die!/why did he not [heal this man so that] he did not die?) [RHQ]”
38 Jesus, however, again restraining His strong feeling, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone had been laid against the mouth of it.
Within himself Jesus was again very angry [about Lazarus dying] (OR, very troubled). He came to the tomb. It was a cave. The entrance had been covered with a large stone.
39 "Take away the stone," said Jesus. Martha, the sister of the dead man, exclaimed, "Master, by this time there is a foul smell; for it is three days since he died."
Jesus said, “Take away the stone!” Martha, [who, as I mentioned before, was an older] sister of the man who had died, said, “Lord, his [body] has been [in the tomb] for four days, so now there will be a bad smell!”
40 "Did I not promise you," replied Jesus, "that if you believe, you shall see the glory of God?"
Jesus said to her, “I told [RHQ] you that if you believed [in] ([me/what I can do]), you would see how great God is! Have [you forgotten that]?”
41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up [toward heaven] and said, “My Father, I thank you that you heard me [when I prayed about this earlier].
42 I know that Thou always hearest me; but for the sake of the crowd standing round I have said this--that they may believe that Thou didst send me."
I know that you always hear me [when I pray]. But instead [of just praying silently], I said that for the sake of the people who are standing here. I want them to believe that you sent me.”
43 After speaking thus, He called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."
After he said that, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped in cloths, and his face wrapped round with a towel. "Untie him," said Jesus, "and let him go free."
The man who [had been] dead came out! The strips of cloth were still wrapped around his [hands and feet], and a cloth was still around his face, [but he came out]! Jesus said to them, “Take off the cloths so that he can walk easily!” [So they did that].
45 Thereupon a considerable number of the Jews--namely those who had come to Mary and had witnessed His deeds--became believers in Him;
As a result, many of the Jews who had come to [see] Mary and who had seen what Jesus did, believed that he ([was the Messiah/had come from God]).
46 though some of them went off to the Pharisees and told them what He had done.
But some of the [others] went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47 Therefore the High Priests and the Pharisees held a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What steps are we taking?" they asked one another; "for this man is performing a great number of miracles.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered all the members of the [Jewish] Council together. They started saying [to each other], “What are we going to do [about Jesus]? He is performing many miracles!
48 If we leave him alone in this way, everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and blot out both our city and our nation."
If we allow him to keep [doing this], everyone will believe (in him/that he [is the Messiah]), [and they will make him their king]. Then the Roman [army] will come and destroy our Temple and our whole nation of Israel!”
49 But one of them, named Caiaphas, being High Priest that year, said, "You know nothing about it.
One of the [Jewish Council] members was Caiaphas. He was the Jewish high priest that year. [Hinting that they should get rid of Jesus], he said to them, “You [talk as though you] do not know anything [HYP]!
50 You do not reflect that it is to your interest that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish."
You do not realize that it would be much better for us if one man died for the sake of the people rather than that [the Romans kill] all the [people of our Jewish] nation.”
51 It was not as a mere man that he thus spoke. But being High Priest that year he was inspired to declare that Jesus was to die for the nation,
He said that, not because he thought of it himself. Instead, since he was the high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the whole [Jewish] nation.
52 and not for the nation only, but in order to unite into one body all the far-scattered children of God.
But he was also prophesying that Jesus would die, not just for the Jews, but for all the people living in other lands who [would belong] to God, in order that he would unite [all of them into] one [group].
53 So from that day forward they planned and schemed in order to put Him to death.
So from that day the [Jewish leaders] started to make plans how they could kill Jesus.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but He left that neighbourhood and went into the district near the Desert, to a town called Ephraim, and remained there with the disciples.
Because of that, Jesus no longer traveled around publicly among the Jewish people. Instead, he left [Jerusalem, along] with us disciples, and went to a village called Ephraim, in an area near the desolate region. We stayed there [for a while].
55 The Jewish Passover was coming near, and many from that district went up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover [celebration], many [Jews] went up to Jerusalem from other places in the country. They went there to perform the rituals to make themselves acceptable [to God] before the Passover [celebration started].
56 They therefore looked out for Jesus, and asked one another as they stood in the Temple, "What do you think? --will he come to the Festival at all?"
The Jewish chief priests and Pharisees issued an order that if anyone found out where Jesus was, that person should report it to them, in order that they could seize him. [So the people thought that Jesus would] probably [not dare to come to the celebration]. But they kept looking for him, and as they were standing in the Temple [courtyard] they were saying to each other, “What do you think? He will not come to the celebration, will he?”
57 Now the High Priests and the Pharisees had issued orders that if any one knew where He was, he should give information, so that they might arrest Him.
