John 12 - Simple English

1Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany. That was where Lazarus lived, the man who had been dead, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

2There they made him a supper, and Martha served. Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.

3Then Mary took a pound of ointment made of spikenard, which was very costly. She poured it on the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the smell of the ointment.

4Then one of his disciples spoke up, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, the one who would betray him.

5"Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred pence, and the money given to the poor?"

6He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. He kept the money bag, and he took what was put in it.

7Then Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial."

8"You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me."

9Many of the Jews found out that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

10But the chief priests made a plan to put Lazarus to death as well,

11because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

12The next day many people who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

13They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna. Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord."

14Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written,

15"Do not be afraid, daughter of Sion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."

16His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him, and that they had done these things to him.

17So the people who were with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from the dead told what they had seen.

18This was why the people also came out to meet him, because they heard that he had done this miracle.

19So the Pharisees said to one another, "Do you see that we are getting nowhere? Look, the whole world has gone after him."

20There were some Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.

21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."

22Philip came and told Andrew, and then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified."

24"I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it stays alone. But if it dies, it brings a large harvest."

25"Whoever loves his life will lose it. Whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

26"If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him."

27"Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But it was for this reason that I came to this hour."

28"Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

29The people standing there heard it and said that it thundered. Others said, "An angel spoke to him."

30Jesus answered, "This voice did not come for my sake, but for yours."

31"Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out."

32"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to me."

33He said this to show what kind of death he was going to die.

34The people answered him, "We have heard from the law that Christ stays for ever. How can you say, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?"

35Then Jesus said to them, "The light will be with you only a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you. For the one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going."

36"While you have light, believe in the light, so that you may be children of light." Jesus said these things, then went away and hid himself from them.

37Though he had done so many miracles in front of them, they still did not believe in him.

38This was so that the words of Isaiah the prophet would come true, when he said, "Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been shown?"

39They could not believe, because Isaiah said again,

40"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and turn, and I should heal them."

41Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and he spoke about him.

42Even so, many of the chief rulers did believe in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not say so openly, in case they were put out of the synagogue.

43For they loved the praise of people more than the praise of God.

44Jesus called out and said, "Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in him who sent me."

45"And whoever sees me sees him who sent me."

46"I have come as a light into the world, so that whoever believes in me should not stay in darkness."

47"If anyone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world."

48"Whoever rejects me and does not receive my words has something that judges him. The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day."

49"For I have not spoken on my own. The Father who sent me gave me a command about what I should say and what I should speak."

50"And I know that his command is everlasting life. So whatever I speak, I speak just as the Father told me."