Bible Gateway passage: John 16:4-22 - New King James Version (2024)

⁴But these things I have told you, that when ^[a]the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

⁵“But now I ^(A)go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, ^(B)sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but ^(C)if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸And when He has ^(D)come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ^9(E)of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ^10(F)of righteousness, ^(G)because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ^11(H)of judgment, because ^(I)the ruler of this world is judged.

¹²“I still have many things to say to you, ^(J)but you cannot bear them now. ¹³However, when He, ^(K)the Spirit of truth, has come, ^(L)He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ^14(M)He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ^15(N)All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He ^[b]will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

¹⁶“A ^(O)little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, ^(P)because I go to the Father.”

¹⁷Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not ^[c]know what He is saying.”

¹⁹Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? ²⁰Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and ^(Q)lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into ^(R)joy. ^21(S)A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and ^(T)your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

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