John 15

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. 2 Every branch in me not bearing fruit he takes away, and every branch bearing fruit he cleans, so that it may bear more fruit. [a] 3 You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him, this one bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown outside like the branch and is dried up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and it burns. [b] 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want, and it will happen for you. 8 In this my Father was glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

9 Just as the Father loved me, I also loved you; remain in my love. 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. [c] 11 These things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be made full. 12 This is my command: that you love one another just as I loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from my Father I made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, so that you should go and bear fruit and your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father for in my name he may give you. 17 These things I command you: that you love one another.

18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. [d] 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you because of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But it is so that the word written in their law may be fulfilled: ‘They hated me for nothing.’ [e]

26 When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth, which goes out from the Father — he will testify about me. † 27 And you also testify, because you are with me from the beginning.