John 5

The Healing at Bethesda

1 Later on there was a Jewish feast (festival), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a *5:2 In 1888, the location of this pool with its porticoes, as described in this verse, was uncovered.pool, which is called in Hebrew (Jewish Aramaic) Bethesda, having five porticoes (alcoves, colonnades). 3 In these porticoes lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, withered, *5:3 Early mss do not contain the remainder of v 3, nor v 4.[waiting for the stirring of the water; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at appointed seasons and stirred up the water; the first one to go in after the water was stirred was healed of his disease.] 5 There was a certain man there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to get well?"7 The invalid answered, "Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming [to get into it myself], someone else steps down ahead of me." 8 Jesus said to him, "Get up; pick up your pallet and walk."9 Immediately the man was healed and recovered his strength, and *5:9 Under Jewish tradition regarding the Sabbath, the man could have been stoned to death for this act.picked up his pallet and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath.