¹ But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. ³ The experts in the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. ⁵ In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death such women. What then do you say?” ⁶ (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against him.) Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied, “Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground.

⁹ Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰ Jesus stood up straight and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”]]

¹² Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ¹³ So the Pharisees objected, “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!” ¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you people do not know where I came from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You people judge by outward appearances; I do not judge anyone. ¹⁶ But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, because I am not alone when I judge, but I and the Father who sent me do so together. ¹⁷ It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. ¹⁸ I testify about myself and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

¹⁹ Then they began asking him, “Who is your father?” Jesus answered, “You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too.” ²⁰ (Jesus spoke these words near the offering box while he was teaching in the temple courts. No one seized him because his time had not yet come.)

²¹ Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will look for me but will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” ²² So the Jewish leaders began to say, “Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” ²³ Jesus replied, “You people are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world. ²⁴ Thus I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

²⁵ So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied, “What I have told you from the beginning. ²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the Father who sent me is truthful, and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” ²⁷ (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.)

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what the Father taught me. ²⁹ And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do those things that please him.” ³⁰ While he was saying these things, many people believed in him.

³¹ Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ “We are descendants of Abraham,” they replied, “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the family forever, but the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the son sets you free, you will be really free. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. But you want to kill me, because my teaching makes no progress among you. ³⁸ I am telling you the things I have seen while with the Father; as for you, practice the things you have heard from the Father!”

³⁹ They answered him, “Abraham is our father!” Jesus replied, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would be doing the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! ⁴¹ You people are doing the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Jesus, “We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father, God himself.”

⁴² Jesus replied, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching. ⁴⁴ You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God.”

⁴⁸ The Judeans replied, “Aren’t we correct in saying that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father – and yet you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not trying to get praise for myself. There is one who demands it, and he also judges. ⁵¹ I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see death.”

⁵² Then the Judeans responded, “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, ‘If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never experience death.’ ⁵³ You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵ Yet you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ Then the Judeans replied, “You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!” ⁵⁹ Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area.