John 5 - New King James Version (NKJV)

A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

5 After ^(A)this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus ^(B)went up to Jerusalem. ² Now there is in Jerusalem ^(C)by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, ^[a]Bethesda, having five porches. ³ In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, ^[b]paralyzed, ^[c]waiting for the moving of the water. ⁴ For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. ⁵ Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

⁷ The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

⁸ Jesus said to him, ^(D)“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” ⁹ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And ^(E)that day was the Sabbath. ¹⁰ The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; ^(F)it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

¹¹ He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”

¹² Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” ¹³ But the one who was ^(G)healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. ^(H)Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

¹⁵ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Honor the Father and the Son

¹⁶ For this reason the Jews ^(I)persecuted Jesus, ^[d]and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, ^(J)“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

¹⁸ Therefore the Jews ^(K)sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, ^(L)making Himself equal with God. ¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(M)the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. ²⁰ For ^(N)the Father loves the Son, and ^(O)shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, ^(P)even so the Son gives life to whom He will. ²² For the Father judges no one, but ^(Q)has committed all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. ^(R)He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Life and Judgment Are Through the Son

²⁴ “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(S)he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, ^(T)but has passed from death into life. ²⁵ Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when ^(U)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For ^(V)as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have ^(W)life in Himself, ²⁷ and ^(X)has given Him authority to execute judgment also, ^(Y)because He is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will ^(Z)hear His voice ^{29 (AA)}and come forth—^(AB)those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. ^{30 (AC)}I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because ^(AD)I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

The Fourfold Witness

^{31 (AE)}“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not ^[e]true. ^{32 (AF)}There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. ³³ You have sent to John, ^(AG)and he has borne witness to the truth. ³⁴ Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was the burning and ^(AH)shining lamp, and ^(AI)you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. ³⁶ But ^(AJ)I have a greater witness than John’s; for ^(AK)the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very ^(AL)works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. ³⁷ And the Father Himself, who sent Me, ^(AM)has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, ^(AN)nor seen His form. ³⁸ But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. ^{39 (AO)}You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and ^(AP)these are they which testify of Me. ^{40 (AQ)}But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

^{41 (AR)}“I do not receive honor from men. ⁴² But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. ^{44 (AS)}How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek ^(AT)the honor that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; ^(AU)there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; ^(AV)for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you ^(AW)do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Footnotes

1. John 5:2 NU Bethzatha
2. John 5:3 withered
3. John 5:3 NU omits the rest of v. 3 and all of v. 4.
4. John 5:16 NU omits and sought to kill Him
5. John 5:31 valid as testimony

Cross references

1. John 5:1 : Lev. 23:2; Deut. 16:16
2. John 5:1 : John 2:13
3. John 5:2 : Neh. 3:1, 32; 12:39
4. John 5:8 : Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:11; Luke 5:24
5. John 5:9 : John 9:14
6. John 5:10 : Ex. 20:10; Neh. 13:19; Jer. 17:21, 22; Matt. 12:2; Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2
7. John 5:13 : Luke 13:14; 22:51
8. John 5:14 : Matt. 12:45; [Mark 2:5]; John 8:11
9. John 5:16 : Luke 4:29; John 8:37; 10:39
10. John 5:17 : [John 9:4; 17:4]
11. John 5:18 : John 7:1, 19
12. John 5:18 : John 10:30; Phil. 2:6
13. John 5:19 : Matt. 26:39; John 5:30; 6:38; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10
14. John 5:20 : Matt. 3:17; John 3:35; 2 Pet. 1:17
15. John 5:20 : [Matt. 11:27]
16. John 5:21 : Luke 7:14; 8:54; [John 11:25]
17. John 5:22 : Matt. 11:27; 28:18; [John 3:35; 17:2; Acts 17:31; 1 Pet. 4:5]
18. John 5:23 : Luke 10:16; 1 John 2:23
19. John 5:24 : John 3:16, 18; 6:47
20. John 5:24 : [1 John 3:14]
21. John 5:25 : [Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13]
22. John 5:26 : Ps. 36:9
23. John 5:26 : [John 1:4; 14:6]; 1 Cor. 15:45
24. John 5:27 : John 9:39; [Acts 10:42; 17:31]
25. John 5:27 : Dan. 7:13
26. John 5:28 : [1 Thess. 4:15–17]
27. John 5:29 : Is. 26:19; [1 Cor. 15:52]
28. John 5:29 : Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46; Acts 24:15
29. John 5:30 : John 5:19
30. John 5:30 : Matt. 26:39; John 4:34; 6:38
31. John 5:31 : John 8:14; Rev. 3:14
32. John 5:32 : [Matt. 3:17; John 8:18; 1 John 5:6]
33. John 5:33 : [John 1:15, 19, 27, 32]
34. John 5:35 : 2 Sam. 21:17; 2 Pet. 1:19
35. John 5:35 : Matt. 13:20; Mark 6:20
36. John 5:36 : 1 John 5:9
37. John 5:36 : John 3:2; 10:25; 17:4
38. John 5:36 : John 9:16; 10:38
39. John 5:37 : Matt. 3:17; John 6:27; 8:18
40. John 5:37 : Deut. 4:12; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 1:17; 1 John 4:12
41. John 5:39 : Is. 8:20; 34:16; Luke 16:29; Acts 17:11
42. John 5:39 : Deut. 18:15, 18; Luke 24:27
43. John 5:40 : [John 1:11; 3:19]
44. John 5:41 : John 5:44; 7:18; 1 Thess. 2:6
45. John 5:44 : John 12:43
46. John 5:44 : [Rom. 2:29]
47. John 5:45 : Rom. 2:12
48. John 5:46 : [Gen. 3:15]; Deut. 18:15, 18; John 1:45; Acts 26:22
49. John 5:47 : Luke 16:29, 31