I Am the True Vine

¹“I am the rtrue vine, and my Father is sthe vinedresser. ²tEvery branch in me that does not bear fruit uhe takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, vthat it may bear more fruit. ³Already wyou are clean xbecause of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴yAbide zin me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine; ayou are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bbears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in me che is thrown away like a branch and withers; dand the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If eyou abide in me, and my words abide in you, fask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸gBy this my Father is glorified, that you hbear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹iAs the Father has loved me, jso have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰kIf you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as lI have kept mmy Father's commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹These things I have spoken to you, nthat my joy may be in you, and that oyour joy may be full.

¹²p“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³qGreater love has no one than this, rthat someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are smy friends tif you do what I command you. ¹⁵uNo longer do I call you servants,1 for the servant wdoes not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for xall that I have heard from my Father yI have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but zI chose you and appointed you that you should go and abear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that bwhatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷These things I command you, cso that you will love one another.

The Hatred of the World

¹⁸d“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹eIf you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because fyou are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you: g‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, hthey will also persecute you. iIf they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹But jall these things they will do to you kon account of my name, lbecause they do not know him who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, mthey would not have been guilty of sin,2 but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³nWhoever hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴oIf I had not done among them the works that no one else did, mthey would not be guilty of sin, but now they have pseen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But qthe word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: r‘They hated me without a cause.’

²⁶“But swhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the will bear witness about me. ²⁷And uyou also will bear witness, vbecause you have been with me wfrom the beginning.