Gospel of Saint John - The New Testament

¹ Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the end.

² They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him.

³ Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God,

⁴ and he got up from table, removed his outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist;

⁵ he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?'

⁷ Jesus answered, 'At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.'

⁸ 'Never!' said Peter. 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus replied, 'If I do not wash you, you can have no share with me.' Simon Peter said,

⁹ 'Well then, Lord, not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!'

¹⁰ Jesus said, 'No one who has had a bath needs washing, such a person is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.'

¹¹ He knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said, 'though not all of you are'.

¹² When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments again he went back to the table. 'Do you understand', he said, 'what I have done to you?

¹³ You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am.

¹⁴ If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other's feet.

¹⁵ I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.

¹⁶ 'In all truth I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him.

¹⁷ 'Now that you know this, blessed are you if you behave accordingly.

¹⁸ I am not speaking about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must be fulfilled: 'He who shares my table takes advantage of me.

¹⁹ I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe that I am He.

²⁰ In all truth I tell you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.'

²¹ Having said this, Jesus was deeply disturbed and declared, 'In all truth I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.'

²² The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he meant.

²³ The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus;

²⁴ Simon Peter signed to him and said, 'Ask who it is he means,'

²⁵ so leaning back close to Jesus' chest he said, 'Who is it, Lord?'

²⁶ Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish.' And when he had dipped the piece of bread he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.

²⁷ At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, 'What you are going to do, do quickly.'

²⁸ None of the others at table understood why he said this.

²⁹ Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the festival,' or telling him to give something to the poor.

³⁰ As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. It was night.

³¹ When he had gone, Jesus said: Now has the Son of man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified.

³² If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon.

³³ Little children, I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.

³⁵ It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples.

³⁶ Simon Peter said, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Now you cannot follow me where I am going, but later you shall follow me.'

³⁷ Peter said to him, 'Why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.'

³⁸ 'Lay down your life for me?' answered Jesus. 'In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.'