John 15

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vines and my Father is the gardener.t2 He takes awayts every branch that does not beart fruit in me. Het prunest every branch that bearst fruit so that it will bear more fruit.3 You are clean alreadys because of the word that I have spoken to you.

4 Remaint in me, and I will remain in you.t Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,s unless it remainst int the vine, so neither can you unless you remaint in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remainst in me – and I in him – bearst much fruit,ts because apart from me you can accomplisht nothing.6 If anyone does not remaint in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire,s and are burned up.t7 If you remaint in me and my words remaint in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.s

8 My Father is honoredt by this, thatt you beart much fruit and show that you ares my disciples.
9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remaint in my love.10 If you obeyt my commandments, you will remaint in my love, just as I have obeyedt my Father’s commandments and remaint in his love.11 I have told you these thingst so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.12 My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you.s13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his lifet for his friends.14 You are my friendss if you do what I command you.15 I no longer call you slaves,t because the slave does not understandt what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everythingt I heardt from my Father.16 You did not choose me, but I chose yous and appointed you to go and beart fruit, fruit that remains,s so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

17 Thist I command you – to love one another.

The World’s Hatred

18 “If the world hates you, be awaret that it hated me first.t19 If you belonged to the world,t the world would love you as its own.t However, because you do not belong to the world,t but I chose you out of the world, for this reasont the world hates you.s20 Remember whatt I told you, ‘A slavet is not greater than his master.’s If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyedt my word, they will obeyt yours too.21 But they will do all these things to you on account oft my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.t22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.ts But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.23 The one who hates me hates my Father too.24 If I had not performedt among them the miraculous deedst that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.t But now they have seen the deedst and have hated both me and my Father.t25 Now this happenedt to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’s26 When the Advocatet comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – het will testify about me,

27 and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

JOHN 15

Jesus Is the True Vine

1 Jesus said to his disciples:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit.

3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you.
4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.

6 If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.
7 Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. 8 When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. 9 I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you.

10 If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.
11 I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. 12 t Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. 13 The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. 14 And you are my friends, if you obey me.

15 Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything my Father has told me.
16 You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.t

17 So I command you to love each other.

The World's Hatred

20 t Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say.
21 People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Everyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 I have done things no one else has ever done. If they had not seen me do these things, they would not be guilty. But they did see me do these things, and they still hate me and my Father too.

25 t This is why the Scriptures are true when they say, “People hated me for no reason.”
26 I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will helpt you and will tell you about me. 27 Then you will also tell others about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.