- Now a certain man was sick, whose name was Lazarus, of the town of Bethany. And Mary his sister, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, lived with her sister Martha, in whose house her brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. And when Jesus heard he was sick, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
- Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. And Jesus tarried two days after he heard that Lazarus was sick; after that, he says unto his disciples, Let us go into Judea again. But his disciples said unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone you, and you go there again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbles not, because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him. These things said he, and after that, he says unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent you may believe; nevertheless, let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, who is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. For they feared lest the Jews should take Jesus and put him to death, for as yet they did not understand the power of God.
- And when Jesus came to Bethany, to Martha’s house, Lazarus had already been in the grave four days. Now Bethany was near unto Jerusalem — about fifteen furlongs off — and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him; but Mary still sat in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, whatever you will ask of God, God will give it to you. Jesus says unto her, Your brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who should come into the world.
- And when she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master has come and calls for you. As soon as Mary heard that Jesus had come, she arose quickly and came unto him.
- Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met him. The Jews then, who were with her in the house and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goes unto the grave to weep there. Then, when Mary had come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled, and said, Where have you laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him. And some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
- Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, comes to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, says unto him, Lord, by this time he stinks, for he has been dead four days. Jesus says unto her, Did I not say unto you that if you would believe, you should see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And I knew that you hear me always, but because of the people who stand by, I said it that they may believe that you have sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus says unto them, Untie him and let him go.
- Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What shall we do? For this man does many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him, and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, You know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spoke he not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then, from that day forth, they took counsel together in order to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but went from there unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
- And the Jews’ Passover was near at hand, and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, What do you think of Jesus? Will he not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any man knew where he was, he should show them, that they might take him.
- Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was (who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead). There they made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Then says one of his disciples (Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son who should betray him), Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money bag, and stole from what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone, for she has preserved this ointment until now, that she might anoint me in token of my burial. For the poor always you have with you, but me you have not always.
- Many people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there, and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted, that they might put Lazarus also to death because by reason of him, many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus.
Chapter 7