Open English Translation YHN (JHN) Chapter 9

9 As Yeshua was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth 2 and his followers asked him, “Honoured teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he himself sinned, or his parents?”

3 Yeshua answered, “It wasn’t either this man or his parents that sinned.[fn] But so that God can work in him for others to see, 4 as long as it’s daytime, we need to do what the one who sent us wants, but when nighttime comes, no one will be able to work. 5 [ref]As long as I’m here in this world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After he’d said this, Yeshua spat on the ground and after mixing some clay into a slurry, he spread it on the eyes of the man 7 and told him to go and wash in the Siloam Pool.[fn]

8 Then the neighbours of the man and others who had seen him earlier, knowing that he was a beggar asked, “Isn’t he the one who always sat and begged here?”

9 And indeed, some were saying, “Yes, this is him.” But others were saying, “No, but he looks quite similar.”

And the man said, “I am him.”

10 So they asked him, “Well, how come that now you can see?”

11 “A man named Yeshua made a slurry,” he said, “and spread it on my eyes and told me to go and wash at Siloam Pool. So I went and did it, and when I washed my eyes, I could see.”

12 “Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” said the man.

13 Then they brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now, it had been the Rest Day when Yeshua had made the slurry and enabled him to see, 15 and because of this, some in the Pharisee party asked him how it was that now he could see. And he answered, “Well, he put a slurry on my eyes and when I washed them, I could see.”

16 “Well clearly that man is not from God,” some of them said, “because he doesn’t respect the Rest Day.”

However others said, “But if he’s just a sinner, how could he do miracles like that?”

17 So they asked the man who had been blind, “Well, what do you have to say because it was your eyes that he opened?”

“He must be a prophet,” the man said.

18 But some of the Jews weren’t even sure that he really had been blind before and could now see, so they called for his parents 19 and asked them, “You two say that this is your son and that he was born blind. If so, how come that now he can see?”

20 His parents answered, “We know that he’s our son, and we know that he was born blind. 21 But as for how come he can now see, we don’t know that. Nor do we know who healed his eyes. But ask him—he’s old enough to speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders, because the leaders had already announced that anyone who said that Yeshua was the messiah would get banned from all religious ceremonies, 23 so that’s why they had said, “He’s old enough—just ask him.”)

24 So the leaders summoned the man born blind a second time and commanded him, “Only praise God himself for this, because we know that that man is a sinner.”

25 “Well, I don’t know whether or not he’s a sinner,” replied the man. “All I know is that I used to be blind but now I can see.”

26 “What did he do to you?” they asked again. “How did he open your eyes?”

27 And he answered, “I already told you that, and you didn’t even listen. Why do you want to hear it all over again? Do you guys all want to become his followers as well?”

28 Then they insulted him and said, “You might be a follower of that man, but we are followers of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this other fellow is from.”

30 “Wow, that’s pretty amazing,” the man responded. “That man opened up my eyes, and you teachers don’t even know where he’s from! 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he listens to those who worship him and do what he wants. 32 In all the centuries past we never heard that a person could give sight to someone who was born blind. 33 If this man isn’t from God, surely he wouldn’t be able to do that!”

34 They reacted, “You’re just an ignorant sinner, and you think you can teach us!” Then they had him thrown out of the room.

35 Yeshua heard that they had thrown out the man who could now see, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe that humanity’s child came from God?”

36 And the man answered, “Mister, who is he so that I can believe in him?”

37 “You’ve seen him and heard him and he’s speaking to you right now,” said Yeshua.

38 “I do believe, master,” the man responded. Then he knelt down in front of Yeshua.

39 Yeshua said, “I came into this world to dispense judgement, so that the people who can’t see will be able to see, and so that the ones who can see will become blind.”

40 The Pharisees with him heard that and asked, “Are you saying that we’re blind?”

41 “If you were blind,” Yeshua replied, “you wouldn’t be sinning, but since you all declare that you can see, then your sin remains.