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11 Now there was a certain [man] sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and Martha her sister.

It was [the] Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

But when Jesus heard [it], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

When therefore he heard, He is sick, he remained two days then in the place where he was.

Then after this he says to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

The disciples say to him, Rabbi, [even but] now the Jews sought to stone thee, and goest thou thither again?

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world;

10 but if any one walk in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.

11 These things said he; and after this he says to them, Lazarus, our friend, is fallen asleep, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.

12 The disciples therefore said to him, Lord, if he be fallen asleep, he will get well.

13 But Jesus spoke of his death, but *they* thought that he spoke of the rest of sleep.

14 Jesus therefore then said to them plainly, Lazarus has died.

15 And I rejoice on your account that I was not there, in order that ye may believe. But let us go to him.

16 Thomas therefore, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, Let *us* also go, that we may die with him.

17 Jesus therefore [on] arriving found him to have been four days already in the tomb.

18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia off,

19 and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, that they might console them concerning their brother.

20 Martha then, when she heard Jesus is coming, went to meet him; but Mary sat in the house.

21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died;

22 but even now I know, that whatsoever thou shalt ask of God, God will give thee.

23 Jesus says to her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24 Martha says to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day.

25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes on me, though he have died, shall live;

26 and every one who lives and believes on me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27 She says to him, Yea, Lord; I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who should come into the world.

28 And having said this, she went away and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, The teacher is come and calls thee.

29 She, when she heard [that], rises up quickly and comes to him.

30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha came to meet him.

31 The Jews therefore who were with her in the house and consoling her, seeing Mary that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, She goes to the tomb, that she may weep there.

32 Mary therefore, when she came where Jesus was, seeing him, fell at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

33 Jesus therefore, when he saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled,

34 and said, Where have ye put him? They say to him, Lord, come and see.

35 Jesus wept.

36 The Jews therefore said, Behold how he loved him!

37 And some of them said, Could not this [man], who has opened the eyes of the blind [man], have caused that this [man] also should not have died?

38 Jesus therefore, again deeply moved in himself, comes to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

39 Jesus says, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead, says to him, Lord, he stinks already, for he is four days [there].

40 Jesus says to her, Did I not say to thee, that if thou shouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

41 They took therefore the stone away. And Jesus lifted up his eyes on high and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me;

42 but I knew that thou always hearest me; but on account of the crowd who stand around I have said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

43 And having said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44 And the dead came forth, bound feet and hands with graveclothes, and his face was bound round with a handkerchief. Jesus says to them, Loose him and let him go.

45 Many therefore of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he had done, believed on him;

46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

47 The chief priests, therefore, and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What do we? for this man does many signs.

48 If we let him thus alone, all will believe on him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.

49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, Ye know nothing

50 nor consider that it is profitable for you that one man die for the people, and not that the whole nation perish.

51 But this he did not say of himself; but, being high priest that year, prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation;

52 and not for the nation only, but that he should also gather together into one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

53 From that day therefore they took counsel that they might kill him.

54 Jesus therefore walked no longer openly among the Jews, but went away thence into the country near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, and there he sojourned with the disciples.

55 But the passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, that they might purify themselves.

56 They sought therefore Jesus, and said among themselves, standing in the temple, What do ye think? that he will not come to the feast?

57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given commandment that if any one knew where he was, he should make it known, that they might take him.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)(C) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love(D) is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”(F)

“But Rabbi,”(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,(H) and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.(I) 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.(L)

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas(M) (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.(N) 18 Now Bethany(O) was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.(P) 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.(Q)

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.(R) 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”(S)

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection(T) at the last day.”(U)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am(V) the resurrection and the life.(W) The one who believes(X) in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing(Y) in me will never die.(Z) Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,(AA) the Son of God,(AB) who is to come into the world.”(AC)

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher(AD) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.(AE) 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,(AF) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”(AG)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved(AH) in spirit and troubled.(AI) 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.(AJ)

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”(AK)

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man(AL) have kept this man from dying?”(AM)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved,(AN) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.(AO) 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”(AP)

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,(AQ) you will see the glory of God?”(AR)

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up(AS) and said, “Father,(AT) I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,(AU) that they may believe that you sent me.”(AV)

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”(AW) 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,(AX) and a cloth around his face.(AY)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,(AZ) and had seen what Jesus did,(BA) believed in him.(BB) 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees(BC) called a meeting(BD) of the Sanhedrin.(BE)

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.(BF) 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas,(BG) who was high priest that year,(BH) spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”(BI)

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.(BJ) 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.(BK)

54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.(BL) Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,(BM) many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing(BN) before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus,(BO) and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Footnotes

  1. John 11:16 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
  2. John 11:18 Or about 3 kilometers