John 8:1-18 ▼

1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Early the next morning he returned to the temple courtyard. All the people went to him, so he sat down and began to teach them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of everyone

4 and asked Jesus, |Teacher, we caught this woman in the act of adultery.

5 In his teachings, Moses ordered us to stone women like this to death. What do you say?|

6 They asked this to test him. They wanted to find a reason to bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and used his finger to write on the ground.

7 When they persisted in asking him questions, he straightened up and said, |The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone at her.|

8 Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground.

9 One by one, beginning with the older men, the scribes and Pharisees left. Jesus was left alone with the woman.

10 Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, |Where did they go? Has anyone condemned you?|

11 The woman answered, |No one, sir.| Jesus said, |I don't condemn you either. Go! From now on don't sin.|

12 Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. He said, |I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have a life filled with light and will never live in the dark.|

13 The Pharisees said to him, |You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony isn't true.|

14 Jesus replied to them, |Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is true because I know where I came from and where I'm going. However, you don't know where I came from or where I'm going.

15 You judge the way humans do. I don't judge anyone.

16 Even if I do judge, my judgment is valid because I don't make it on my own. I make my judgment with the Father who sent me.

17 Your own teachings say that the testimony of two people is true.

18 I testify on my own behalf, and so does the Father who sent me.|