1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

2 T his was the Mary who put perfume on the Lord and dried His feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick.

It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3 T he sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, your friend is sick!”

So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “ Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

4 W hen Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. It has happened so that it will bring honor to God. And the Son of God will be honored by it also.” Jesus Tells of the Death of Lazarus

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

5 J esus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

6 B ut when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.

So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.

7 T hen He said to His followers, “Let us go into the country of Judea again.”

Then after this He said to the disciples, “ Let us go to Judea again.”

8 T he followers said to Him, “Teacher, the Jews tried to throw stones at You to kill You not long ago. Are You going there again?”

The disciples said to Him, “ Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”

9 J esus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks during the day, he will not fall. He sees the light of this world.

Jesus answered, “ Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

10 I f a man walks during the night, he will fall. The light is not in him.”

But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

11 A fter Jesus had said this, He spoke again and said, “Our friend Lazarus is sleeping. I will go and wake him up.”

This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”

12 T he followers said to Him, “If he is sleeping, he will get well.”

The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

13 B ut Jesus meant Lazarus was dead. They thought He meant Lazarus was resting in sleep.

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.

14 T hen Jesus said to them, “Lazarus is dead.

So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,

15 B ecause of you I am glad I was not there so that you may believe. Come, let us go to him.”

and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”

16 T homas, who was called the Twin, said to the other followers, “Let us go also so we may die with Jesus.” Jesus Tells That the Grave Will Not Hold the Dead

Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

17 W hen Jesus got there, He heard that Lazarus had been in the grave four days.

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

18 B ethany was about one-half hour walk from Jerusalem.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;

19 M any Jews had come to Martha and Mary to give words of comfort about their brother.

and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

20 M artha heard that Jesus was coming and went to meet Him. Mary stayed in the house.

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.

21 M artha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

Martha then said to Jesus, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 I know even now God will give You whatever You ask.”

Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 J esus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 M artha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again when the dead are raised from the grave on the last day.”

Martha said to Him, “ I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

25 J esus said to her, “I am the One Who raises the dead and gives them life. Anyone who puts his trust in Me will live again, even if he dies.

Jesus said to her, “ I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

26 A nyone who lives and has put his trust in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 S he answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God. You are the One Who was to come into the world.” Lazarus Is Raised from the Dead

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

28 A fter Martha said this, she went and called her sister Mary. She said without anyone else hearing, “The Teacher is here and has sent for you.”

When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “ The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

29 W hen Mary heard this, she got up and went to Him.

And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.

30 J esus had not yet come into their town. He was still where Martha had met Him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.

31 T he Jews had been in the house comforting Mary. They saw her get up and hurry out. They followed her and said, “She is going to the grave to cry there.”

Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

32 M ary went to the place where Jesus was. When she saw Him, she got down at His feet. She said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 J esus saw her crying. The Jews who came with her were crying also. His heart was very sad and He was troubled.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,

34 H e said, “Where did you lay Lazarus?” They said, “Lord, come and see.”

and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 T hen Jesus cried.

Jesus wept.

36 T he Jews said, “See how much He loved Lazarus.”

So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”

37 S ome of them said, “This Man opened the eyes of the blind man. Could He not have kept this man from dying?”

But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

38 J esus went to the grave with a sad heart. The grave was a hole in the side of a hill. A stone covered the door.

So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

39 J esus said, “Take the stone away.” The dead man’s sister, Martha, said to Him, “Lord, by now his body has a bad smell. He has been dead four days.”

Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 J esus said to her, “Did I not say that if you would believe, you would see the shining-greatness of God?”

Jesus said to her, “ Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 T hey took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You for hearing Me.

So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “ Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

42 I know You always hear Me. But I have said this for the people standing here, so they may believe You have sent Me.”

I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”

43 W hen He had said this, He called with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

44 T he man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were tied in grave clothes. A white cloth was tied around his face. Jesus said to the people, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go!” The Proud Religious Law-Keepers Try to Think of a Way to Kill Jesus

The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

45 M any of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus had done put their trust in Him.

Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.

46 S ome of them went to the proud religious law-keepers and told them what Jesus had done.

But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

47 T he religious leaders of the Jews and the proud religious law-keepers gathered a court together. They said, “What will we do? This Man is doing many powerful works.

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.

48 I f we let Him keep doing these things, all men will put their trust in Him. The Romans will come and take away the house of God and our nation.”

If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

49 C aiaphas was the head religious leader that year. He said to them, “You know nothing about this.

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,

50 D o you not see it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?”

nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”

51 C aiaphas did not think of these words himself. He spoke what God had said would happen. He was telling before it happened that Jesus must die for the nation.

Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,

52 H e must die not only for the nation, but also to bring together into one group the children of God who were living in many places.

and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

53 F rom that day on they talked together about how they might kill Jesus.

So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

54 F or this reason Jesus did not walk out in the open among the Jews. He went to a town called Ephraim. It was near a desert. He stayed there with His followers. The Proud Religious Law-Keepers Look for Jesus

Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

55 T he special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt was soon. Many people from around the country came up to Jerusalem to go through the religious washing before the special supper.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves.

56 T hey looked for Jesus. They stood together in the house of God and asked each other, “What do you think? Will He come to the special supper?”

So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?”

57 T he religious leaders of the Jews and the proud religious law-keepers had said that if any man knew where Jesus was, he should tell them. They wanted to take Him.

Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.