John 5:1-7 ▼

1 Later on, there was another festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem is a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It has five colonnades,

3 and under these a large number of sick people were lying—blind, lame, or paralyzed—waiting for the movement of the water.

4 At certain times an angel of the Lord would go down into the pool and stir up the water, and whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.

5 One particular man was there who had been ill for 38 years.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he asked him, |Do you want to get well?|

7 The sick man answered him, |Sir, I don't have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I'm trying to get there, someone else steps down ahead of me.|