Jesus Heals a Sick Man
1 Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for another Jewish festival. 2 In the city near the sheep gate was a pool with five porches, and its name in Hebrew was Bethzatha.
3-4 Many sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying close to the pool.
5 Beside the pool was a man who had been sick for 38 years. 6 When Jesus saw the man and realized that he had been crippled for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to be healed?”
7 The man answered, “Sir, I don't have anyone to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up. I try to get in, but someone else always gets there first.”
8 Jesus told him, “Pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Right then the man was healed. He picked up his mat and started walking around. The day on which this happened was a Sabbath.
10 When the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his mat, they said to him, “This is the Sabbath! No one is allowed to carry a mat on the Sabbath.”
11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk.”
12 They asked him, “Who is this man that told you to pick up your mat and walk?” 13 But he did not know who Jesus was, and Jesus had left because of the crowd.
14 Later, Jesus met the man in the temple and told him, “You are now well. But don't sin anymore or something worse might happen to you.” 15 The man left and told the leaders that Jesus was the one who had healed him. 16 They started making a lot of trouble for Jesus because he did things like this on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus said, “My Father has never stopped working, and this is why I keep on working.” 18 Now the leaders wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons. First, he had broken the law of the Sabbath. But even worse, he had said God was his Father, which made him equal with God.
The Son's Authority
19 Jesus told the people:
I tell you for certain the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do. 20 The Father loves the Son and has shown him everything he does. The Father will show him even greater things, and you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants to.
22 The Father doesn't judge anyone, but he has made his Son the judge of everyone. 23 The Father wants all people to honor the Son as much as they honor him. When anyone refuses to honor the Son, this is the same as refusing to honor the Father who sent him. 24 I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life.
25 I tell you for certain the time will come, and it is already here, when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen to it will live! 26 The Father has the power to give life, and he has given that same power to the Son. 27 And he has given his Son the right to judge everyone, because he is the Son of Man.
28 Don't be surprised! The time will come when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man, 29 and they will come out of their graves. Everyone who has done good things will rise to life, but everyone who has done evil things will rise and be condemned.
30 I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness, because I obey him, and I don't just try to please myself.
Witnesses to Jesus
31 If I speak for myself, there is no way to prove I am telling the truth. 32 But there is someone else who speaks for me, and I know what he says is true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he told them the truth. 34 I don't depend on what people say about me, but I tell you these things so that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that gave a lot of light, and you were glad to enjoy his light for a while.
36 But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me.
37 The Father who sent me also speaks for me, but you have never heard his voice or seen him face to face. 38 You have not believed his message, because you refused to have faith in the one he sent.
39 You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, 40 but you refuse to come to me for eternal life.
41 I don't care about human praise, 42 but I do know that none of you love God. 43 I have come with my Father's authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own. 44 How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don't care about praise that the only God can give!
45 Don't think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is the very one who will accuse you. 46 Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me. 47 But if you don't believe what Moses wrote, how can you believe what I say?
Dziedināšana pie Bētzatas dīķa
1 Pēc tam bija jūdu svētki, un Jēzus nogāja uz Jeruzālemi. 2 Jeruzālemē pie Avju vārtiem ir peldvieta, kuru ebrejiski sauc Bētzata, ar piecām kolonādēm. 3 Tajās gulēja daudz neveselu, aklu, tizlu, izkaltušu. 5 Tur bija kāds vīrs, kurš bija nevesels jau trīsdesmit astoņus gadus. 6 Jēzus, redzēdams viņu gulošu un zinādams, ka tādā stāvoklī viņš jau ir ilgu laiku, tam jautāja: “Vai tu gribi kļūt vesels?” 7 Slimais viņam atbildēja: “Kungs, man nav cilvēka, kurš mani ienestu ūdenī, kad tas tiek sakustināts, bet, kamēr es tur nokļūstu pats, cits nokāpj pirms manis.” 8 Jēzus viņam sacīja: “Celies, ņem savu gultu un staigā!” 9 Un tūdaļ šis cilvēks kļuva vesels un ņēma savu gultu un staigāja; bet todien bija sabats. 10 Tad jūdi sacīja izdziedinātajam: “Ir sabats, tu nedrīksti nest savu gultu!” 11 Bet viņš tiem atbildēja: “Kas mani darīja veselu, man teica: ņem savu gultu un staigā!” 12 Tie viņam jautāja: “Kurš ir tas cilvēks, kas tev teica: ņem un staigā?” 13 Bet izdziedinātais nezināja, kurš tas ir, jo Jēzus nozuda ļaužu pūlī, kas tajā vietā bija. 14 Pēc tam Jēzus to atrada templī un viņam sacīja: “Redzi, tu esi kļuvis vesels, negrēko vairs, lai tev nenotiek kas ļaunāks.” 15 Tad šis cilvēks aizgāja un sacīja jūdiem, ka Jēzus ir tas, kas viņu darījis veselu. 16 Un jūdi sāka Jēzu vajāt, tādēļ ka viņš to bija darījis sabatā. 17 Bet viņš tos uzrunāja: “Mans Tēvs vēl aizvien strādā, un arī es strādāju.” 18 Nu vēl vairāk jūdi meklēja viņu nonāvēt, tādēļ ka viņš ne tikvien neievēroja sabatu, bet arī sauca Dievu par savu Tēvu, sevi pielīdzinādams Dievam.
Cilvēka Dēlam dotā vara
19 Tad Jēzus atbildēja un tiem teica: “Patiesi, patiesi es jums saku: Dēls nevar pats no sevis darīt neko, ja vien tas neredz Tēvu darām, jo vienīgi to, ko dara Tēvs, tāpat dara arī Dēls. 20 Jo Tēvs mīl Dēlu un rāda viņam visu, ko pats dara, un rādīs lielākus darbus par šiem, tā ka jūs brīnīsieties. 21 Tāpat kā Tēvs mirušos uzmodina un dara dzīvus, arī Dēls atdzīvina, kurus grib. 22 Tēvs netiesā nevienu, bet visu tiesu ir nodevis Dēlam, 23 lai visi godātu Dēlu, tāpat kā tie godā Tēvu. Kas Dēlu negodā, tie negodā Tēvu, kas viņu sūtījis. 24 Patiesi, patiesi es jums saku: kas manus vārdus dzird un tic viņam, kas mani ir sūtījis, tam ir mūžīgā dzīvība un tas nenāk tiesā, bet no nāves ir pārgājis dzīvībā. 25 Patiesi, patiesi es jums saku: nāk stunda, un tā ir jau tagad, kad mirušie dzirdēs Dieva Dēla balsi, un tie, kas būs dzirdējuši, dzīvos. 26 Tāpat kā Tēvam ir dzīvība sevī pašā, viņš devis arī Dēlam, lai tam būtu dzīvība sevī pašā. 27 Viņš tam devis varu arī tiesāt, tādēļ ka tas ir Cilvēka Dēls. 28 Nebrīnieties par to, jo nāk stunda, kurā visi, kas ir kapos, dzirdēs viņa balsi 29 un izies ārā: tie, kas darījuši labu, – celsies augšām dzīvībai, bet tie, kas darījuši ļaunu, – notiesāšanai. 30 Es nespēju no sevis darīt neko. Kā es dzirdu, tā tiesāju, un mana tiesa ir taisna, jo es nemeklēju savu gribu, bet tā gribu, kas mani ir sūtījis.
Liecības par Jēzu
31 Ja es liecinu par sevi pats, tad mana liecība nav patiesa, 32 ir cits, kas liecina par mani, un es zinu, ka viņa liecība, ko viņš par mani dod, ir patiesa. 33 Jūs sūtījāt pārstāvjus pie Jāņa, un viņš ir apliecinājis patiesību. 34 Ne no cilvēka es pieņemu liecību, bet to saku, lai jūs tiktu izglābti. 35 Viņš bija lukturis, kas deg un apgaismo, bet jūs gribējāt tikai brīdi palīksmoties tā gaismā. 36 Man ir lielāka liecība nekā Jāņa liecība, jo tie darbi, kurus Tēvs man ir devis, lai tos izdaru līdz galam, – šie paši darbi, ko es daru, – liecina par mani, ka mani ir sūtījis Tēvs. 37 Un Tēvs, kas mani sūtījis, ir pats liecinājis par mani. Bet jūs viņa balsi nekad neesat dzirdējuši, nedz viņa vaigu redzējuši, 38 un jums nav viņa vārda, kas jūsos paliek, jo jūs neticat tam, ko viņš ir sūtījis. 39 Jūs pētāt Rakstus, jo jūs domājat tur gūt mūžīgo dzīvību, un tie ir, kas liecina par mani! 40 Bet jūs negribat nākt pie manis, lai jums būtu dzīvība. 41 Es nepieņemu godu no cilvēkiem, 42 bet jūs es pazīstu – jūsos nav Dieva mīlestības. 43 Es esmu nācis sava Tēva vārdā, bet jūs mani nepieņemat. Ja cits nāks savā vārdā, to jūs pieņemsiet. 44 Kā jūs varat ticēt, godu viens no otra pieņemdami, bet to godu, kas ir no vienīgā Dieva, to jūs nemeklējat? 45 Nedomājiet, ka es jūs apsūdzēšu pie Tēva. Ir kāds, kas jūs apsūdz, – Mozus, uz kuru jūs cerat. 46 Ja jūs ticētu Mozum, jūs ticētu arī man, jo par mani viņš ir rakstījis. 47 Bet, ja jūs neticat viņa rakstiem, kā jūs ticēsiet maniem vārdiem?”
