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Luke 7

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down voluntarily. I am authorized and have power to lay it down and to give it up, and I am authorized and have power to take it back. This command I have received from My Father."

² A division [of opinion] occurred again among the Jews because of these words [of His].

³ Many of them said, "He has a demon and He is mad [insane—He raves and rambles]. Why listen to Him?"

⁴ Others were saying, "These are not the words and thoughts of one possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

⁵ At that time the[7] Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem.

⁶ It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple [area] in[8] Solomon's portico.

⁷ So the Jews surrounded Him and began saying to Him, "How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are [really] the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), tell us so plainly and openly."

⁸ Jesus answered them, "I have told you so, yet you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name testify concerning Me [they are My credentials and the evidence declaring who I am].

⁹ But you do not believe Me [so you do not trust and follow Me] because you are not My sheep.

¹⁰ The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.

¹¹ And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.

¹² [9] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

¹³ I and the Father are One [in essence and nature]."

¹⁴ Again the Jews picked up stones to stone Him.

¹⁵ Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works [and many acts of mercy] from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"

¹⁶ The Jews answered Him, "We are not going to stone You for a good work, but for blasphemy, because You, a mere man, make Yourself out to be God."

¹⁷ Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods [human judges representing God, not divine beings]'?

¹⁸ If He[10] called them gods, men to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be undone or annulled or broken),

¹⁹ [if that is true] then do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and set apart for Himself and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

²⁰ If I do not do the works of My Father [that is, the miracles that only God could perform], then do not believe Me.

²¹ But if I am doing them, even if you do not believe Me or have faith in Me, [at least] believe the works [that I do—admit that they are the works of God], so that you may know and keep on knowing [clearly—without any doubt] that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father [that is, I am One with Him]."

²² So they tried again to seize Him, but He eluded their grasp.

²³ He went back again across the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.

²⁴ Many came to Him, and they were saying, "John did not perform a single sign (attesting miracle), but everything John said about this Man was true and accurate."

²⁵ And many there believed and confidently trusted in Him [accepting Him as Savior, and following His teaching].

²⁶ Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from[1] Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.

²⁷ It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

²⁸ So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, he [our brother and Your friend] whom You love is sick."

²⁹ When Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness will not end in death; but [on the contrary it is] for the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

³⁰ Now Jesus loved and was concerned about Martha and her sister and Lazarus [and considered them dear friends].

³¹ [2] So [even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed in the same place two more days.

³² Then He said to His disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

³³ The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi (Teacher), the Jews were only recently going to stone You, and You are [thinking of] going back there again?"

³⁴ Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours [of light] in the day? Anyone who walks in the daytime does not stumble, because he sees [by] the light of this world.

³⁵ But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him."

³⁶ He said this, and after that said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him."

³⁷ The disciples answered, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

³⁸ However, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was referring to natural sleep.

³⁹ So then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

⁴⁰ And for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

⁴¹ Then Thomas, who was called Didymus (the twin), said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go too, that we may die with Him."

⁴² So when Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb[3] four days.

⁴³ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away;

⁴⁴ and many of the Jews had come to see Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning [the loss of] their brother.

⁴⁵ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house.

⁴⁶ Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

⁴⁷ Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give to You."

⁴⁸ Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise [from the dead]."

⁴⁹ Martha replied, "I know that he will rise [from the dead] in the resurrection on the last day."

⁵⁰ Jesus said to her, "[4] I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies;

#	AMP
1	No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down voluntarily. I am authorized and have power to lay it down and to give it up, and I am authorized and have power to take it back. This command I have received from My Father."
2	A division [of opinion] occurred again among the Jews because of these words [of His].
3	Many of them said, "He has a demon and He is mad [insane—He raves and rambles]. Why listen to Him?"
4	Others were saying, "These are not the words and thoughts of one possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
5	At that time the[7] Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem.
6	It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple [area] in[8] Solomon's portico.
7	So the Jews surrounded Him and began saying to Him, "How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are [really] the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), tell us so plainly and openly."
8	Jesus answered them, "I have told you so, yet you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name testify concerning Me [they are My credentials and the evidence declaring who I am].
9	But you do not believe Me [so you do not trust and follow Me] because you are not My sheep.
10	The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.
11	And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.
12	[9] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
13	I and the Father are One [in essence and nature]."
14	Again the Jews picked up stones to stone Him.
15	Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works [and many acts of mercy] from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"
16	The Jews answered Him, "We are not going to stone You for a good work, but for blasphemy, because You, a mere man, make Yourself out to be God."
17	Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods [human judges representing God, not divine beings]'?
18	If He[10] called them gods, men to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be undone or annulled or broken),
19	[if that is true] then do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and set apart for Himself and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
20	If I do not do the works of My Father [that is, the miracles that only God could perform], then do not believe Me.
21	But if I am doing them, even if you do not believe Me or have faith in Me, [at least] believe the works [that I do—admit that they are the works of God], so that you may know and keep on knowing [clearly—without any doubt] that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father [that is, I am One with Him]."
22	So they tried again to seize Him, but He eluded their grasp.
23	He went back again across the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.
24	Many came to Him, and they were saying, "John did not perform a single sign (attesting miracle), but everything John said about this Man was true and accurate."
25	And many there believed and confidently trusted in Him [accepting Him as Savior, and following His teaching].
26	Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from[1] Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.
27	It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
28	So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, he [our brother and Your friend] whom You love is sick."
29	When Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness will not end in death; but [on the contrary it is] for the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."
30	Now Jesus loved and was concerned about Martha and her sister and Lazarus [and considered them dear friends].
31	[2] So [even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed in the same place two more days.
32	Then He said to His disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."
33	The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi (Teacher), the Jews were only recently going to stone You, and You are [thinking of] going back there again?"
34	Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours [of light] in the day? Anyone who walks in the daytime does not stumble, because he sees [by] the light of this world.
35	But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him."
36	He said this, and after that said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him."
37	The disciples answered, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
38	However, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was referring to natural sleep.
39	So then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
40	And for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
41	Then Thomas, who was called Didymus (the twin), said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go too, that we may die with Him."
42	So when Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb[3] four days.
43	Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away;
44	and many of the Jews had come to see Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning [the loss of] their brother.
45	So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house.
46	Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
47	Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give to You."
48	Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise [from the dead]."
49	Martha replied, "I know that he will rise [from the dead] in the resurrection on the last day."
50	Jesus said to her, "[4] I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies;

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