Open English Translation YHN (JHN) Chapter 5

5 After all this, there was another Jewish feast, so Yeshua went down to Yerusalem. 2 In Yerusalem at the Sheep Gate, there’s the Bethsaida pool that has five alcoves 3 and a large number of sick, blind, lame, and paralysed people lie there in them. 4 ◘ 5 One man had been there for thirty-eight years, 6 and when Yeshua noticed him and knew that he’d been there for so long, he asked, “Do you want to get better?”

7 “Yes mister,” the sick man answered, “but when the water starts moving, I don’t have a companion to lift me into the pool, so someone else always get there before me.”

8 Then Yeshua said, “Stand up and pick up your bedroll and start walking.” 9 The man immediately stood up, picked up his gear, and started to walk.

However, this was the weekly rest day. 10 [ref]So the religious leaders said to the man, “Hey! It’s against the law for you to carry your bedding on the rest day!”

11 But the man answered, “The man who made me better told me to pick up my bedroll and start walking.”

12 “Oh. Who was it that told you to take that stuff and start walking?”

13 But the man who had been healed didn’t even know who it was, because Yeshua had quickly left when a crowd had formed.

14 Later on, Yeshua found the man in the temple and told him, “Look, you’re better now so don’t go on sinning, because you don’t want anything worse to happen to you.”

15 The man then went and told the leaders that it was Yeshua who had made him better. 16 As a result, the leaders started harassing Yeshua because he had done this on a rest day. 17 But Yeshua just replied, “My father is working today, and so I’m also working.”

18 Because of this, the leaders became determined that he must be put to death—not just because he broke the rules for the rest day, but most of all because he was calling God his own father, thus making himself equal to God!

19 So Yeshua responded to them, “I want to tell you all something: The son can’t initiate anything by himself. He can only do what he sees his father doing, because whatever his father is doing, he also does things like that. 20 You see, the father loves his son and shows him everything that he’s doing. In fact, he’ll be showing him even greater things than what he’s done already, so that you all will be amazed. 21 Because the father brings the dead back to life, giving them new life, so too the son can give life to anyone who he wants. 22 The father won’t be judging anyone, but has already given that task to the son, 23 so that the people might honour the son like they honour the father. But anyone who is not honouring the son, is also dishonouring the father who sent him.

24 “I assure you that anyone who hears my message and believes that I was sent by God, will live forever and will not be condemned, but has moved from death into life. 25 I can also assure you that a time is coming, and in fact is here already, when the dead will be hearing the voice of God’s son and that voice will bring them back to life. 26 As the father is the source of life, he gave the power of giving life to the son 27 and gave him the authority to be the final judge, because he is humanity’s child. 28 Don’t be surprised at this, because a time is coming when everyone in their graves will be hearing his voice, 29 [ref]and the ones having done what is good will be given new life, and the ones having done what is evil will be condemned.”

30 Yeshua continued explaining to the religious leaders, “I don’t do anything in isolation. Whenever I hear from him, only then do I judge and my judgement is correct and impartial because I’m not imposing my desires, but the desire of the one who sent me.

31 “If I just testified about myself, my testimony would not be correct or even valid. 32 However it’s another one that’s testifying about me, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 [ref]You sent people out to question Yohan and his testimony was true. 34 but I don’t even need any testimony that comes from people, because I am teaching you how to be saved. 35 Yohan was a bright and shining light and you appreciated it for a short time. 36 But I have a stronger testimony than Yohan’s because the father has entrusted works to me to complete, and which I’m already doing and which clearly show that the father sent me here. 37 [ref]And since he sent me, he himself has testified about me. You people have never listened to his voice, nor have you ever seen him! 38 And his way of thinking is obviously not in your minds, because you don’t believe the one that he sent. 39 You look in the Jewish scriptures because you suppose that they’ll lead you to eternal life. Those very scriptures testify about me coming, 40 yet you refuse to come to me in order to receive life.

41 “I’m not getting any praise from people 42 but I do know that you people don’t actually love God in your hearts. 43 I have come with my father’s authority and you don’t accept me, but if someone came claiming their own authority, you’d happily accept them. 44 How could you possibly believe when you just accept acclamations from each other, but don’t even seek praise from the only God. 45 But don’t be assuming that I’ll be accusing you all in front of the father. No, the one who’ll accuse you is Moses because he’s the one that you’re hoping to please. 46 The trouble is that if you actually believed what Moses wrote, you would believe me, because Moses was writing about me. 47 But since you don’t really believe his writings, you’re not at all likely to believe me.”