THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN

THE NEW TESTAMENT
TRANSLATED FROM
THE SYRIAC PESHITO VERSION BY JAMES MURDOCK

Chapter 9

(Joh 9:1) And while passing, he saw a man blind from his mother's womb.

(Joh 9:2) And his disciples asked him, and said: Our Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

(Joh 9:3) Jesus said to them: Neither did he sin, nor his parents; but that the works of God might be seen in him.

(Joh 9:4) I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, in which no one can work.

(Joh 9:5) So long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

(Joh 9:6) And having spoken thus, he spit on the ground, and made mud with the spittle, and spread it on the eyes of the blind man;

(Joh 9:7) and said to him: Go, wash in the baptistery of Siloam. And he went, and washed, and came away seeing.

(Joh 9:8) And his neighbors, and they by whom he had before been seen begging, said: Is not this he, who sat and begged?

(Joh 9:9) Some said, It is he: and others said, No; but he is very like him. But he said: I am he.

(Joh 9:10) And they said to him: How were thy eyes opened?

(Joh 9:11) He answered, and said to them: A man whose name is Jesus, made mud and spread it on my eyes, and said to me, Go, wash in the waters of Siloam. And I went, and washed, and my sight was restored.

(Joh 9:12) They said to him: Where is he? He said to them: I know not.

(Joh 9:13) And they brought him that had been blind, before the Pharisees.

(Joh 9:14) Now it was on the sabbath that Jesus made the mud, and opened his eyes.

(Joh 9:15) And again the Pharisees asked him: How was thy sight restored? And he said to them: He put mud upon my eyes, and I washed, and my sight was restored.

(Joh 9:16) And some of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, for he doth not observe the sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner, work these signs? And there was a division among them.

(Joh 9:17) They say again to the blind man: What sayest thou of him, seeing he hath opened thy eyes? He said to them: I say, that he is a prophet.

(Joh 9:18) And the Jews would not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and recovered sight, until they called the parents of him who recovered sight.

(Joh 9:19) And they asked them: Is this your son, of whom ye say that he was born blind? And how doth he now see?

(Joh 9:20) And his parents answered and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

(Joh 9:21) but how he now seeth, or who opened his eyes, we know not. He hath come to his years, ask him; he will speak for himself.

(Joh 9:22) These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had decided, that if any one should confess him to be Messiah, they would expel him from the synagogue.

(Joh 9:23) For this reason his parents said, He hath come to his years, ask him.

(Joh 9:24) And they called a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him: Give glory to God; for we know that this man is a sinner.

(Joh 9:25) He replied, and said to them: Whether he is a sinner, I know not; but, one thing I know, that I was blind, and lo, now I see.

(Joh 9:26) They said to him again: What did he to thee? How did he open thy eyes?

(Joh 9:27) He said to them: I have told you, and ye did not hear. Why would ye hear again? Do ye also wish to become his disciples?

(Joh 9:28) But they reproached him, and said to him: Thou art his disciple, but we are the disciples of Moses.

(Joh 9:29) And we know that God conversed with Moses; but as for this man, we know not whence he is.

(Joh 9:30) The man replied and said to them: In this therefore is [something] to be admired, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened my eyes.

(Joh 9:31) Now we know, that God heareth not the voice of sinners; but him that feareth him, and doeth his pleasure, him he heareth.

(Joh 9:32) Never hath it been heard, that any one opened the eyes of one born blind.

(Joh 9:33) If this man were not of God, he could not do this thing.

(Joh 9:34) They replied, and said to him: Thou wast wholly born in sins; and dost thou teach us? And they expelled him.

(Joh 9:35) And Jesus heard that they had expelled him; and he found him, and said to him: Believest thou on the Son of God?

(Joh 9:36) And he that was healed, answered and said: My Lord, who is he, that I may believe on him?

(Joh 9:37) Jesus said to him: Thou hast seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

(Joh 9:38) And he said: My Lord, I believe: and he fell down, and worshipped him.

(Joh 9:39) And Jesus said: For the judgment of this world, have I come; that they who see not, might see; and that they who see, might become blind.

(Joh 9:40) And [some] of those Pharisees who were with him, heard these things; and they said to him: How? Are we also blind?

(Joh 9:41) Jesus said to them: If ye were blind, ye would be without sin; but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin is established.