John 11
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.
[One time] there was a man whose name was Lazarus who was [very] sick. He lived in Bethany [village], where his [older] sisters Mary and Martha also lived.
2 It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
Mary was the woman who [later] poured perfume on the feet of the Lord [Jesus], and then wiped his feet with her hair.
3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”
So the two sisters sent [someone to tell] Jesus [about Lazarus], saying, “Lord, the one you love [very much] is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”
[They hoped that Jesus would come], but when Jesus heard the message, he said, “His being sick will not end in his dying. Instead, it will result in [people realizing] how great God is, and that I, God’s son, may be honored {that people may honor me, God’s son}, because of [what I will do].”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
Jesus loved Martha and her [younger] sister [Mary] and Lazarus.
6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was.
But when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed [where he was] for two more days.
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”
But Jesus [wanted to see Lazarus]. So he said to us disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
We said, “Teacher, just a short while ago the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] wanted to [kill you by] throwing stones at you. So ([we think that you should not] go back there again!/[are you sure that you want to] go back there again?) [RHQ]”
9 Jesus answered, “Are not there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
[To show us that nothing bad could happen to him until the time that God had chosen] [MET], Jesus replied, “There are [RHQ] twelve hours in the daytime, [which is enough time to do what God wants us to do]. People who walk in the daytime will not stumble [over things they cannot see], because they see things by the light from the sun.
10 But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
It is when people walk in the nighttime that they stumble over things, because they have no light.”
11 He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”
After he said that, he told us, “Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep. But I will go there so that I can wake him up.”
12 The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
So we said to him, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well. [So you do not need to risk your life by going there].”
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep.
Jesus was speaking [figuratively] about Lazarus’ death, but we thought that he was talking about really being asleep.
14 So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead.
So then he told us plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”
But for your sake I am glad that I was not there [when he died], because I want you to believe [more firmly that I] ([am the Messiah/came from God]). So now, [instead of staying here], let’s go to him.”
16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s also go, that we may die with him.”
Then Thomas, who was {whom they} called ‘The Twin’, said to the rest of us disciples, “Let’s all go, so that we may die with Jesus [when his enemies kill him].”
17 So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already.
When we arrived [close to Bethany], someone told Jesus that Lazarus [had died and had been buried and his body had] been in the tomb for four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
Bethany is less than (two miles/three kilometers) from Jerusalem.
19 Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
Many Jews had come [from Jerusalem] to console Martha and Mary over [the death of] their [younger] brother.
20 Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house.
When Martha heard [someone say] that Jesus was coming, she went [along the road] to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.
21 Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died.
When Martha [got to where Jesus was], she said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died [because you would have healed him]!
22 Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”
But I know that even now God will do for you whatever you ask [concerning my brother].”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will become alive again!”
24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Martha said to him, “I know that he will become alive again when all people become alive again on the [Judgment] day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
Jesus said to her, “I am the one who [enables people to] become alive again and who [causes people to] live [eternally]. Those who believe in me, even if they die, will live [again].
Furthermore, all those who believe in me while they are alive, [their souls] will not die [forever]. Do you believe that?” (aiōn g165)
27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord! I believe that you are the Messiah, (the Son of God/the man who is also God). You are the one [God promised to send] into the world!”
28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here and is calling you.”
After she said that, she returned [to the house] and took her [younger] sister, Mary, aside and said to her, “The Teacher is close [to our village], and he wants to talk to you.”
29 When she heard this, she arose quickly and went to him.
When Mary heard that, she got up quickly and went to him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.
Jesus had not yet entered the village; he was still at the place where Martha met him.
31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
The Jews who were in the house with Mary, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go outside. So they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb [where they had buried Lazarus], in order to cry there.
32 Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Mary got to where Jesus was and saw him, she prostrated herself at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my [younger] brother would not have died!”
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled,
When Jesus saw her crying, and saw that the Jews who had come with her were also crying, he was very angry [that Satan had caused Lazarus to die] (OR, very troubled) and disturbed in his spirit.
34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
He said, “Where have you buried (him/his body)?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
Jesus began to cry.
36 The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!”
Then [some of] the Jews said, “Look how much he loved Lazarus!”
37 Some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”
But some others said, “He enabled a blind man to see. So (he should have been able to [heal this man so that] he did not die!/why did he not [heal this man so that] he did not die?) [RHQ]”
38 Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
Within himself Jesus was again very angry [about Lazarus dying] (OR, very troubled). He came to the tomb. It was a cave. The entrance had been covered with a large stone.
39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said, “Take away the stone!” Martha, [who, as I mentioned before, was an older] sister of the man who had died, said, “Lord, his [body] has been [in the tomb] for four days, so now there will be a bad smell!”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did not I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”
Jesus said to her, “I told [RHQ] you that if you believed [in] ([me/what I can do]), you would see how great God is! Have [you forgotten that]?”
41 So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me.
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up [toward heaven] and said, “My Father, I thank you that you heard me [when I prayed about this earlier].
42 I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”
I know that you always hear me [when I pray]. But instead [of just praying silently], I said that for the sake of the people who are standing here. I want them to believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
After he said that, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.”
The man who [had been] dead came out! The strips of cloth were still wrapped around his [hands and feet], and a cloth was still around his face, [but he came out]! Jesus said to them, “Take off the cloths so that he can walk easily!” [So they did that].
45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him.
As a result, many of the Jews who had come to [see] Mary and who had seen what Jesus did, believed that he ([was the Messiah/had come from God]).
46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
But some of the [others] 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 are we doing? For this man does many signs.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered all the members of the [Jewish] Council together. They started saying [to each other], “What are we going to do [about Jesus]? He is performing many miracles!
48 If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
If we allow him to keep [doing this], everyone will believe (in him/that he [is the Messiah]), [and they will make him their king]. Then the Roman [army] will come and destroy our Temple and our whole nation of Israel!”
49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,
One of the [Jewish Council] members was Caiaphas. He was the Jewish high priest that year. [Hinting that they should get rid of Jesus], he said to them, “You [talk as though you] do not know anything [HYP]!
50 nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”
You do not realize that it would be much better for us if one man died for the sake of the people rather than that [the Romans kill] all the [people of our Jewish] nation.”
51 Now he did not say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
He said that, not because he thought of it himself. Instead, since he was the high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the whole [Jewish] nation.
52 and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
But he was also prophesying that Jesus would die, not just for the Jews, but for all the people living in other lands who [would belong] to God, in order that he would unite [all of them into] one [group].
53 So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death.
So from that day the [Jewish leaders] started to make plans how they could kill Jesus.
54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.
Because of that, Jesus no longer traveled around publicly among the Jewish people. Instead, he left [Jerusalem, along] with us disciples, and went to a village called Ephraim, in an area near the desolate region. We stayed there [for a while].
55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover [celebration], many [Jews] went up to Jerusalem from other places in the country. They went there to perform the rituals to make themselves acceptable [to God] before the Passover [celebration started].
56 Then they sought for Jesus and spoke with one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that he is not coming to the feast at all?”
The Jewish chief priests and Pharisees issued an order that if anyone found out where Jesus was, that person should report it to them, in order that they could seize him. [So the people thought that Jesus would] probably [not dare to come to the celebration]. But they kept looking for him, and as they were standing in the Temple [courtyard] they were saying to each other, “What do you think? He will not come to the celebration, will he?”
57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.
