John 17

Jesus Prays for Himself 1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed. He said, “Father, the time has come. Bring glory to your Son. Then your Son will bring glory to you. 2You gave him authority over all people. He gives eternal life to all those you have given him. 3And what is eternal life? It is knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do.

5So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples 6“I have shown you to the disciples you gave me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me. And they have obeyed your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8I gave them the words you gave me. And they accepted them. They knew for certain that I came from you. They believed that you sent me. 9I pray for them. I am not praying for the world. I am praying for those you have given me, because they are yours. 10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. Glory has come to me because of my disciples. 11I will not remain in the world any longer. But they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name. It is the name you gave me. Keep them safe so they can be one, just as you and I are one.

12While I was with them, I guarded them. I kept them safe through the name you gave me. None of them has been lost, except the one who was headed for ruin. It happened so that Scripture would come true. 13“I am coming to you now. But I say these things while I am still in the world. I say them so that those you gave me can have the same joy that I have. 14I have given them your word. The world has hated them. That’s because they are not part of the world any more than I am. 15I do not pray that you will take them out of the world. I pray that you will keep them safe from the evil one. 16They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to it. 17Use the truth to make them holy. Your word is truth. 18You sent me into the world. In the same way, I have sent them into the world.

19I make myself holy for them so that they too can be made holy by the truth.

Jesus Prays for All Believers 20“I do not pray only for them. I pray also for everyone who will believe in me because of their message. 21Father, I pray they will be one, just as you are in me and I am in you. I want them also to be in us. Then the world will believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory you gave me. I did this so they would be one, just as we are one.

23I will be in them, just as you are in me. This is so that they may be brought together perfectly as one. Then the world will know that you sent me. It will also show the world that you have loved those you gave me, just as you have loved me.

24“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory, the glory you have given me. You gave it to me because you loved me before the world was created. 25“Father, you are holy. The world does not know you, but I know you. Those you have given me know you have sent me. 26I have shown you to them. And I will continue to show you to them. Then the love you have for me will be in them. I myself will be in them.”