Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 15

The Vine and the Branches

¹  "I am^(a) the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. ² Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes,^(b) and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³ You are already clean^(c) because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. ^(d)

⁵ "I am the vine;^(e) you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit,^(f) because you can do nothing without Me. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside^(g) like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire,^(h) and they are burned.^{(i) 7} If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.^{(j) 8} My Father is glorified^(k) by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^[a] My disciples.

Christlike Love

⁹ "As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love.^{(l) 10} If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. ^(m)

¹¹ "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.^{(n) 12} This is My command: Love one another as I have loved^(o) you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life^(p) for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master ^[b](q) is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you.^(r) I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask^(s) the Father in My name,^(t) He will give you.^{(u) 17} This is what I command you: Love one another.

Persecutions Predicted

¹⁸ "If the world hates^(v) you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen^(w) you out of it, the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.'^(x) If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word,^(y) they will also keep yours. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you on account of My name,^(z) because they don't know^(aa) the One who sent Me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. ^[c](ab) Now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ The one who hates Me also hates My Father.^{(ac) 24} If I had not done the works^(ad) among them that no one else has done,^(ae) they would not have sin.^(af) Now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵ But this happened so that the statement written in their scripture might be fulfilled: ^(ag) They hated Me for no reason. ^(ah)[d]

Coming Testimony and Rejection

²⁶ "When the Counselor^(ai) comes, the One I will send to you from the Father^(aj)—the Spirit of truth^(ak) who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me. ²⁷ You also will testify,^(al) because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Chapter 16

¹  "I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. ² They will ban you from the synagogues.^(a) In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service^(b) to God. ³ They will do these things because they haven't known^(c) the Father or Me. ⁴ But I have told you these things so that when their time^[a] comes you may remember^(d) I told them to you. I didn't tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

The Counselor's Ministry

⁵ "But now I am going away^(e) to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?'^{(f) 6} Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth.^(g) It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.^{(h) 8} When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: ⁹ About sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father⁽ⁱ⁾ and you will no longer see Me; ¹¹ and about judgment,^(j) because the ruler of this world^(k) has been judged. ^(l)

¹² "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't bear them now.^{(m) 13} When the Spirit of truth⁽ⁿ⁾ comes, He will guide you into all the truth.^(o) For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ Everything the Father^(p) has is Mine.^(q) This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you. ^(r)

Sorrow Turned to Joy

¹⁶ "A little while^(s) and you will no longer see Me;^(t) again a little while and you will see Me." ^[b]

¹⁷ Therefore some of His disciples said to one another, "What is this He tells us: ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me' ; and, ‘because I am going to the Father'^(u) ?" ¹⁸ They said, "What is this He is saying,^[c] ‘A little while' ? We don't know what He's talking about!"

¹⁹ Jesus knew they wanted to question Him, so He said to them, "Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me'?

²⁰ "I assure you: You will weep and wail,^(v) but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful,^(w) but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹ When a woman is in labor she has pain^(x) because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child,^(y) she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. ²² So you also have sorrow^[d] now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice,^(z) and no one will rob you of your joy.^{(aa) 23} In that day you will not ask Me anything.

"I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. ^{(ab) 24} Until now you have asked for nothing in My name.^(ac) Ask and you will receive,^(ad) so that your joy may be complete. ^(ae)

Jesus the Victor

²⁵ "I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask^(af) in My name.^(ag) I am not telling you that I will make requests to the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved^(ah) Me and have believed that I came from God. ^{[e](ai) 28} I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father." ^(aj)

²⁹ "Ah!" His disciples said. "Now You're speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. ³⁰ Now we know that You know everything^(ak) and don't need anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came from God."^(al)

³¹ Jesus responded to them, "Do you now believe? ³² Look: An hour is coming, and has come,^(am) when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.^{(an) 33} I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

Chapter 17

Jesus Prays for Himself

¹ Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said:

Jesus Prays for His Disciples