John 7 - Easy To Read Version

¹ After this, Jesus traveled around the country of Galilee. Jesus did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him.

² It was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters. {\cf2\super [100]}

³ So Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to \{the festival in\} Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles {\cf2\super [101]} you do.

⁴ If a person wants the people to know him, then that person must not hide the things he does. Show yourself to the world. Let them see these things (miracles) you do.”

⁵ (Even Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him.)

⁶ Jesus said to his brothers, “The right time for me has not yet come. But any time is right for you \{to go\}.

⁷ The world cannot hate you. But the world hates me. Why? Because I tell the people in the world that they do evil things.

⁸ So you go to the festival. I will not go to the festival now. The right time for me has not yet come.”

⁹ After Jesus said this, he stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰ So Jesus’ brothers left to go to the festival. After they left, Jesus went too. But Jesus did not let people see him.

¹¹ At the festival the Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus. The Jews said, “Where is that man?”

¹² There was a large group of people there. Many of these people were talking secretly to each other about Jesus. Some people said, “He is a good man.” But other people said, “No, he fools the people.”

¹³ But none of the people were brave enough to talk about Jesus openly. The people were afraid of the Jewish leaders.

¹⁴ The festival {\cf2\super [102]} was about half finished. Then Jesus went to the temple {\cf2\super [103]} area and began to teach.

¹⁵ The Jews were amazed. They said, “This man has never studied in school. How did he learn so much?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “The things I teach are not my own. My teaching comes from him (God) who sent me.

¹⁷ If a person wants to do what God wants, then that person will know that my teaching comes from God. That person will know that this teaching is not my own.

¹⁸ Any person that teaches his own ideas is trying to get honor for himself. But a person that tries to bring honor to the one that sent him—that person speaks the truth. There is nothing false in him.

¹⁹ Moses gave you the law. {\cf2\super [104]} Right? But none of you obey that law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ The people answered, “A demon {\cf2\super [105]} is making you crazy! We are not trying to kill you.”

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle {\cf2\super [106]} \{on a Sabbath day {\cf2\super [107]} \} and you were all surprised.

²² But you obey the law Moses gave you the law about circumcision {\cf2\super [108]} —and sometimes you do it on a Sabbath day. (Really, Moses is not the one that gave you circumcision. Circumcision came from our people \{that lived before Moses\}.) Yes, you often circumcise babies on a Sabbath day.

²³ This shows that a person can be circumcised on a Sabbath day to obey the law of Moses. So why are you angry at me for healing a person’s whole body on the Sabbath day?

²⁴ Stop judging by the way things look. Be fair and judge by what is really right.”

²⁵ Then some of the people that lived in Jerusalem said, “This is the man they are trying to kill.

²⁶ But he is teaching where everyone can see and hear him. And no person is trying to stop him from teaching. Maybe the leaders have decided that he really is the Christ. {\cf2\super [109]}

²⁷ But we know where this man’s home is. And when the real Christ comes, no person will know where he comes from.”

²⁸ Jesus was still teaching in the temple {\cf2\super [110]} area. Jesus said, “Yes, you know me and you know where I am from. But I have not come by my own authority. I was sent by the One (God) who is true. You don’t know him.

²⁹ But I know him and I am from him. He sent me.”

³⁰ When Jesus said this, the people tried to get him. But no person was able to touch Jesus. It was not yet the right time \{for Jesus to be killed\}.

³¹ But many of the people believed in Jesus. The people said, “We are waiting for the Christ {\cf2\super [111]} to come. When the Christ comes, will he do more miracles {\cf2\super [112]} than this man (Jesus) has done? No! \{So this man must be the Christ.\}”

³² The Pharisees {\cf2\super [113]} heard these things the people were saying about Jesus. So the leading priests and the Pharisees sent some temple police to arrest Jesus.

³³ Then Jesus said, “I will be with you people a little while longer. Then I will go back to the One (God) who sent me.

³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me. And you cannot come where I am.”

³⁵ These Jews said to each other, “Where will this man go that we cannot find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live? Will he teach the Greek people there?

³⁶ This man (Jesus) says, ‘You will look for me but you will not find me.’ He also says, ‘You cannot come where I am.’ What does this mean?”

³⁷ The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, “If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

³⁸ If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures {\cf2\super [114]} say.”

³⁹ Jesus was talking about the \{Holy\} Spirit. {\cf2\super [115]} The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet \{died and\} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.

⁴⁰ The people heard these things that Jesus said. Some of the people said, “This man really is the Prophet. {\cf2\super [116]} ”

⁴¹ Other people said, “He is the Christ. {\cf2\super [117]} ”

⁴² The Scriptures {\cf2\super [118]} say that the Christ will come from the family of David. {\cf2\super [119]} And the Scriptures say that the Christ will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived.”

⁴³ So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus.

⁴⁴ Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus. But no person tried to do this.

⁴⁵ The temple {\cf2\super [120]} police went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees. {\cf2\super [121]} The priests and the Pharisees asked, “Why did you not bring Jesus?”

⁴⁶ The temple police answered, “The things he says are greater than the words of any person we’ve ever heard!”

⁴⁷ The Pharisees {\cf2\super [122]} answered, “So Jesus has fooled you too!

⁴⁸ Have any of the leaders believed in Jesus? No! Have any of us Pharisees believed in him? No!

⁴⁹ But those people \{out there\} know nothing about the law. {\cf2\super [123]} They are under God’s curse!”

⁵⁰ But Nicodemus was there in that group. Nicodemus was the one that had gone to see Jesus before. {\cf2\super [124]} Nicodemus said,

⁵¹ “Our law will not let us judge a person without hearing him. We cannot judge him until we know what he has done.”

⁵² The Jewish leaders answered, “Are you from Galilee too? Study the Scriptures. {\cf2\super [125]} You will learn that no prophet {\cf2\super [126]} comes from Galilee.”