John

The Gospel according to Saint John, chapter 11, New English Translation and King James Version

Chapter 11 New English Translation

The Death of Lazarus

   1 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. 2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the LORD with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ) 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "LORD, look, the one you love is sick." 4 When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness will not lead to death, but to God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. )
   6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days. 7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples replied, "Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death! Are you going there again?" 9 Jesus replied, "Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks around at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
   11 After he said this, he added, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going there to awaken him." 12 Then the disciples replied, "LORD, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." 13 (Now Jesus had been talking about his death, but they thought he had been talking about real sleep. )
   14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, 15 and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 So Thomas (called Didymus) said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go too, so that we may die with him."

Speaking with Martha and Mary

   17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already. 18 (Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 so many of the Jewish people of the region had come to Martha and Mary to console them over the loss of their brother. ) 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "LORD, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant you."
   23 Jesus replied, "Your brother will come back to life again." 24 Martha said, "I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, 26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She replied, "Yes, LORD, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world."
   28 And when she had said this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you." 29 So when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him. ) 31 Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep there.
   32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "LORD, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. 34 He asked, "Where have you laid him?" They replied, "LORD, come and see." 35 Jesus wept. 36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said, "Look how much he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "This is the man who caused the blind man to see! Couldn't he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?"

Lazarus Raised from the Dead

   38 Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it. ) 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, "LORD, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has been buried four days." 40 Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you that you have listened to me. 42 I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, "Unwrap him and let him go."

The Response of the Jewish Leaders

   45 Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation."
   49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, "You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish." 51 (Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered. ) 53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.
   54 Thus Jesus no longer went around publicly among the Judeans, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples. 55 Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually. 56 Thus they were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts, "What do you think? That he won't come to the feast?" 57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should report it, so that they could arrest him. )

King James Version

   1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
   2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
   3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
   4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
   5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
   6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
   7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.
   8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
   9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
   10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
   11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
   12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
   13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
   14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
   15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
   16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
   17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
   18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
   19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
   20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
   21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
   22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
   23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
   24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
   25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
   26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
   27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
   28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
   29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
   30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.
   31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
   32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
   33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
   34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
   35 Jesus wept.
   36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
   37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
   38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
   39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
   40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
   41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
   42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
   43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
   44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
   45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
   46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
   47 ¶ Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
   48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
   49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
   50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
   51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
   52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
   53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
   54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
   55 ¶ And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
   56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
   57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.