John 15

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

1Jesus said, "I am the real grapevine. My Father is the farmer who cares for it."

2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

2He cuts off every branch on me that grows no fruit. He trims back every branch that does grow fruit. Then it will grow even more.

Note"Purgeth" in the old King James wording means prunes. A farmer trims a healthy plant so it will grow better. It is care, not punishment.

3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

3You are already clean because of the words I have spoken to you.

4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

4Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. A branch cannot grow fruit by itself. It has to stay on the vine. You are the same. You cannot grow fruit unless you stay joined to me.

Note"Abide" is an old word. It means stay or remain, like staying at home with someone.

5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

5I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever stays joined to me, and I to him, grows much fruit. Away from me you can do nothing.

6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

6Anyone who does not stay joined to me is thrown out like a branch. It dries up. People gather those branches, throw them into the fire, and burn them.

7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

7Stay joined to me, and let my words stay in you. Then ask for what you want. It will be done for you.

8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

8My Father is honored when you grow much fruit. That shows you are my disciples, the students who follow me.

9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

9The Father has loved me. I have loved you in the very same way. Now stay in my love.

10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

10If you obey my commands, you will stay in my love. I have obeyed my Father's commands, and I stay in his love.

11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

11I have told you these things so my joy will be in you. Then your joy will be complete.

12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

12This is my command. Love each other, the same way I have loved you.

13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

13No one has greater love than this. He gives up his own life for his friends.

14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

14You are my friends if you do what I tell you.

15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

15From now on I do not call you servants. A servant does not know what his master is doing. Instead I have called you friends. I have told you everything I heard from my Father.

16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

16You did not choose me. I chose you. I picked you to go and grow fruit, fruit that lasts. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

17These things I command you, that ye love one another.

17This is what I command you. Love each other.

18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

18If the world hates you, remember this. It hated me before it hated you.

19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. But you do not belong to it. I chose you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

20Remember what I told you. A servant is not greater than his master. They hurt me on purpose, so they will hurt you too. If they obeyed my words, they will obey yours too.

21But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

21They will do all these things to you because you belong to me. They do it because they do not know the One who sent me.

22If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

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.

NoteThe King James says they have no "cloak" for their sin. A cloak is a coat. Here it means a cover to hide behind, so it means excuse.

23He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

23Whoever hates me hates my Father too.

24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

24I did things among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they saw those things, and they still hated me and my Father.

25But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

25This happened so the words in their Law would come true. Those words say, "They hated me for no reason."

26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

26I will send you the Helper from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth, who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell people the truth about me.

Note"Comforter" is the old King James word. It means someone who comes alongside to help you and speak up for you.

27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

27You must tell people about me too. You have been with me from the very beginning.