¹⁷ For God ^(A)did not send the Son into the world ^(B)to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

^15 (A)You judge ^[a]according to the flesh; ^(B)I am not judging anyone. ¹⁶ But even ^(C)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. ¹⁷ Even in ^(D)your Law it has been written that the testimony of ^(E)two people is ^[b]true. ¹⁸ I am He who testifies about Myself, and ^(F)the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” ¹⁹ So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; ^(G)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” ²⁰ These words He spoke ^[c]in ^(H)the treasury, as ^(I)He taught in the temple area; and no one arrested Him, because ^(J)His hour had not yet come.

²¹ Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and ^(K)you will look for Me, and ^(L)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” ²² So ^(M)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘^(N)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³ And He was saying to them, “^(O)You are from below, I am from above; ^(P)you are of this world, ^(Q)I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you ^(R)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that ^[d](S)I am, ^(T)you will die in your sins.” ²⁵ Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “^[e]What have I even been saying to you from the beginning? ²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge regarding you, but ^(U)He who sent Me is true; and ^(V)the things which I heard from Him, these I say to the world.” ²⁷ They did not realize that He was speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you ^(W)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that ^[f](X)I am, and ^(Y)I do nothing ^[g]on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. ²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me; ^(Z)He ^[h]has not left Me alone, for ^(AA)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” ³⁰ As He said these things, ^(AB)many came to believe in Him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “^(AC)If you continue in My word, then you are truly My ^(AD)disciples; ³² and ^(AE)you will know the truth, and ^(AF)the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered Him, “^(AG)We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, ^(AH)everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ Now ^(AI)the slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(AJ)the son does remain forever. ³⁶ So if the Son ^(AK)sets you free, you really will be free. ³⁷ I know that you are ^(AL)Abraham’s descendants; yet ^(AM)you are seeking to kill Me, because My word ^[i]has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak of the things which I have seen ^[j]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ^(AN)your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is ^(AO)our father.” Jesus *said to them, “^(AP)If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, ^(AQ)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ^(AR)told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of ^(AS)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; ^(AT)we have one Father: God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ^(AU)you would love Me, ^(AV)for I came forth from God and am here; for I have ^(AW)not even come ^[k]on My own, but ^[l](AX)He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand ^[m](AY)what I am saying? It is because you cannot ^(AZ)listen to My word. ^44 (BA)You are of ^(BB)your father the devil, and ^(BC)you want to do the desires of your father. ^(BD)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ^(BE)there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells ^[n]a lie, he ^(BF)speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of ^[o]lies. ⁴⁵ But because ^(BG)I say the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If ^(BH)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? ^47 (BI)The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

^48 (BJ)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a ^(BK)Samaritan, and You ^(BL)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not ^(BM)have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ⁵⁰ But ^(BN)I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. ⁵¹ Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone ^(BO)follows My word, he will never ^(BP)see death.” ^52 (BQ)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(BR)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone ^(BS)follows My word, he will never ^(BT)taste of death.’ ⁵³ You ^(BU)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “^(BV)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; ^(BW)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; ⁵⁵ and ^(BX)you have not come to know Him, ^(BY)but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ^(BZ)a liar like you; ^(CA)but I do know Him, and I ^(CB)follow His word. ^56 (CC)Your father Abraham was ^(CD)overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” ^57 (CE)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham ^[p]was born, ^[q](CF)I am.” ⁵⁹ Therefore they ^(CG)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^(CH)hid Himself and left the temple grounds.