Chapter 15
1 " I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer .
2 Every branch in me that doesn’ t bear fruit , he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit , he prunes , that it may bear more fruit .
3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you .
4 Remain in me , and I in you . As the branch can ’ t bear fruit by 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 . He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit , for apart from me you can do nothing .
6 If a man doesn’ t remain in me , he is thrown out as a branch and is withered ; and they gather them , throw them into the fire , and they are burnt .
7 If you remain in me , and my words remain in you , you will ask whatever you desire , and it will be done for you .
8 " In this my Father is glorified , that you bear much fruit ; and so you will be my disciples .
9 Even as the Father has loved me , I also have loved you . Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments , you will remain in my love, even as I have kept my Father ’s commandments and remain in his love.
11 I have spoken these things to you , that my joy may remain in you , and that your joy may be made full .
12 " This is my commandment , that you love one another , even as I have loved you .
13 Greater love has no one than this , that someone lay down his life for his friends .
14 You are my friends if you do whatever I command you .
15 No longer do I call you servants , for the servant doesn’ t know what his lord does . But I have called you friends , for everything that I heard from my Father , I have made known to you .
16 You didn’ t choose me , but I chose you and appointed you , that you should go and bear fruit , and that your fruit should remain ; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name , he may give it to you .
17 " I command these things to you , that you may love one another.
18 If the world hates you , you know that it has hated me before it hated you .
19 If you were of the world , the world would love its own . But because you are not of the world , since I chose you out of the world , therefore the world hates you .
20 Remember the word that I said to you : ‘ A servant is not greater than his lord .’ If they persecuted me , they will also persecute you . If they kept my word , they will also keep yours .
21 But they will do all these things to you for my name ’s sake , because they don’ t know him who sent me .
22 If I had not come and spoken to them , they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 He who hates me , hates my Father also .
24 If I hadn’ t done amongst them the works which no one else did , they wouldn’ t have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father .
25 But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law , ‘ They hated me without a cause .’
26 " When the Counsellor has come , whom I will send to you from the Father , the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father , he will testify about me .
27 You will also testify , because you have been with me from the beginning.