The vine and the branches
1‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes15:2 The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans. so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no-one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: love each other.
The world hates the disciples
18‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember what I told you: “A servant is not greater than his master.”15:20 John 13:16 If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them the works no-one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: “They hated me without reason.”15:25 Psalms 35:19; 69:4
The work of the Holy Spirit
26‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
真葡萄树
1耶稣说：“我是真葡萄树，我父是栽培的人。 2属于我的枝子如果不结果子，祂就把它剪掉；如果结果子，祂便修剪它，让它结更多的果子。 3我对你们所讲的道已经使你们洁净了。 4你们要常在我里面，我就常在你们里面。枝子若离开葡萄树，就不能结果子。同样，你们若不常在我里面，也不能结果子。
5“我是葡萄树，你们是枝子。常在我里面的，我也常在他里面，他就会多结果子，因为你们离开了我什么都不能做。 6不常在我里面的人就像丢在外面枯干的枝子，最后只有被人拾起来丢在火里烧掉。 7如果你们常在我里面，我的话也常在你们里面，无论你们求什么，都会得到应允。 8你们多结果子，证明自己是我的门徒，就会给我父带来荣耀。 9父怎样爱我，我也怎样爱你们。你们要常在我的爱中。 10你们若遵守我的命令，就必常在我的爱中，正如我遵守了父的命令，常在父的爱中一样。
11“我把这些事告诉你们，是要叫你们心里有我的喜乐，让你们的喜乐满溢。 12你们要彼此相爱，像我爱你们一样，这就是我的命令。 13为朋友舍命可以说是人间最伟大的爱了。 14你们如果照我的吩咐去做，就是我的朋友。 15我不再称你们为奴仆，因为奴仆不知道主人的事。我称你们为朋友，因为我把从父那里听见的一切都告诉了你们。 16不是你们拣选了我，而是我拣选了你们，并且派你们出去结永存的果子。这样，你们奉我的名无论向父求什么，祂都会赐给你们。 17我把这些事吩咐你们，是要叫你们彼此相爱。
被世人憎恶
18“如果世人恨你们，要知道，他们恨你们以前已经恨我了。 19如果你们属于这个世界，世人一定会爱你们。可是你们不属于这世界，我已经把你们拣选出来，因此世人恨你们。 20你们要记住我说的话，‘奴仆不能大过主人。’他们若迫害我，也必迫害你们；他们若遵行我的话，也必遵行你们的话。 21世人将因为我的名而这样对待你们，因为他们不认识差我来的那位。 22我如果没有来教导他们，他们就没有罪了，但现在他们的罪无可推诿。 23恨我的，也恨我的父。 24我如果没有在他们当中行过空前的神迹，他们就没有罪了。然而，他们亲眼看见了，竟然还恨我和我的父。 25这是要应验他们律法书上的话，‘他们无故地恨我。’
26“我要从父那里为你们差护慰者来，祂就是从父而来的真理之灵。祂来了要为我做见证。 27你们也要为我做见证，因为你们从开始就与我在一起。
