John 8 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. ³ The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴ they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?” ⁶ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷ And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁹ But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰ Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”^[a][b]

Jesus the Light of the World

¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ¹³ The Pharisees then said to him, “You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true.” ¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know whence I have come and whither I am going, but you do not know whence I come or whither I am going. ¹⁵ You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. ¹⁶ Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and he^[c] who sent me. ¹⁷ In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true; ¹⁸ I bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me.” ¹⁹ They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also.” ²⁰ These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Jesus Foretells His Death

²¹ Again he said to them, “I go away, and you will seek me and die in your sin;^[d] where I am going, you cannot come.” ²² Then said the Jews, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³ He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” ²⁵ They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Even what I have told you from the beginning.^{[e] 26} I have much to say about you and much to judge; but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” ²⁷ They did not understand that he spoke to them of the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. ²⁹ And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” ³⁰ As he spoke thus, many believed in him.

True Disciples

³¹ Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, ‘You will be made free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. ³⁶ So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

Jesus and Abraham

³⁹ They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You do what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”^{[f] 42} Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷ He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and he will be the judge. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death.” ⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. ⁵⁵ But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it^[g] and was glad.” ⁵⁷ The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”^{[h] 58} Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”^{[i] 59} So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

Footnotes

1. John 8:11 Some ancient authorities insert 7.53—8.11 either at the end of this gospel or after Luke 21.38, with variations of text. Others omit it altogether.
2. 7.53–8.11 This passage, though absent from some of the most ancient manuscripts, is regarded as inspired and canonical by the church. The style suggests that it is not by St. John, and that it belongs to the Synoptic tradition.
3. John 8:16 Other ancient authorities read the Father
4. 8.21 die in your sin: Theirs is that sin against the truth which is the sin against the Spirit; cf. Mt 12.31.
5. John 8:25 Or Why do I talk to you at all?
6. 8.41 They mean, “We are not idolaters,” and protest their fidelity to God their Father; see notes on Rev 14.4 and 17.2.
7. 8.56 he saw it either in prophetic vision while on earth or by some special privilege after death.
8. John 8:57 Other ancient authorities read has Abraham seen you?
9. 8.58 The present tense indicates Christ’s eternal existence as God.