John 15

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower.

2 Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Any unfruitful branch in me he takes away, and he cleanses every fruitful branch, so that it may bear more fruit.

3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

You are already clean because of the message that I have given you.

4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains united to the vine; no more can you, unless you remain united to me.

5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remains united to me, while I remain united to you – you bear fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me.

6 If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burnt.

If anyone does not remain united to me, they are thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt.

7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

If you remain united to me, and my teaching remains in your hearts, ask whatever you wish, and it will be yours.

8 “In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

It is by your bearing fruit plentifully, and so showing yourselves my disciples, that my Father is honoured.

9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father’s commands to heart and remain in his love.

11 I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

This is my command – love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down their life for their friends.

14 You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.

And you are my friends, if you do what I command you.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

I no longer call you “servants,” because a servant does not know what their master is doing; but I have given you the name of “friends,” because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father.

16 You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

It wasn’t you who chose me, but I who chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that should remain, so that the Father might grant you whatever you ask in my name.

17 “I command these things to you, that you may love one another.

I am giving you these commands that you may love one another.

18 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If the world hates you, you know that it has first hated me.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world – that is why the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Remember what I said to you – “A servant is not greater than their master.” If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have laid my message to heart, they will lay yours to heart also.

21 But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.

But they will do all this to you, because you believe in my name, for they do not know him who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin to answer for; but as it is, they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He who hates me, hates my Father also.

The person who hates me hates my Father also.

24 If I hadn’t done amongst them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father.

If I had not done among them such work as no one else ever did, they would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’

And so is fulfilled what is said in their Law – “They hated me without cause.”

26 “When the Counsellor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.

But, when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth, who comes from the Father – will bear testimony to me;

27 You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

yes, and you also are to bear testimony, because you have been with me from the first.