1 Havia um homem chamado Lázaro. Ele era de Betânia, do povoado de Maria e de sua irmã Marta. E aconteceu que Lázaro ficou doente.2 Maria, sua irmã, era a mesma que derramara perfume sobre o Senhor e lhe enxugara os pés com os cabelos.3 Então as irmãs de Lázaro mandaram dizer a Jesus: "Senhor, aquele a quem amas está doente".4 Ao ouvir isso, Jesus disse: "Essa doença não acabará em morte; é para a glória de Deus, para que o Filho de Deus seja glorificado por meio dela".5 Jesus amava Marta, a irmã dela e Lázaro.6 No entanto, quando ouviu falar que Lázaro estava doente, ficou mais dois dias onde estava.7 Depois disse aos seus discípulos: "Vamos voltar para a Judéia".8 Estes disseram: "Mestre, há pouco os judeus tentaram apedrejar-te e assim mesmo vais voltar para lá? "9 Jesus respondeu: "O dia não tem doze horas? Quem anda de dia não tropeça, pois vê a luz deste mundo.10 Quando anda de noite, tropeça, pois nele não há luz".11 Depois de dizer isso, prosseguiu dizendo-lhes: "Nosso amigo Lázaro adormeceu, mas vou até lá para acordá-lo".12 Seus discípulos responderam: "Senhor, se ele dorme, vai melhorar".13 Jesus tinha falado de sua morte, mas os seus discípulos pensaram que ele estava falando simplesmente do sono.14 Então lhes disse claramente: "Lázaro morreu,15 e para o bem de vocês estou contente por não ter estado lá, para que vocês creiam. Mas, vamos até ele".16 Então Tomé, chamado Dídimo, disse aos outros discípulos: "Vamos também para morrermos com ele".17 Ao chegar, Jesus verificou que Lázaro já estava no sepulcro havia quatro dias.18 Betânia distava cerca de três quilômetros de Jerusalém,19 e muitos judeus tinham ido visitar Marta e Maria para confortá-las pela perda do irmão.20 Quando Marta ouviu que Jesus estava chegando, foi encontrá-lo, mas Maria ficou em casa.21 Disse Marta a Jesus: "Senhor, se estivesses aqui meu irmão não teria morrido.22 Mas sei que, mesmo agora, Deus te dará tudo o que pedires".23 Disse-lhe Jesus: "O seu irmão vai ressuscitar".24 Marta respondeu: "Eu sei que ele vai ressuscitar na ressurreição, no último dia".25 Disse-lhe Jesus: "Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida. Aquele que crê em mim, ainda que morra, viverá;26 e quem vive e crê em mim, não morrerá eternamente. Você crê nisso? "27 Ela lhe respondeu: "Sim, Senhor, eu tenho crido que tu és o Cristo, o Filho de Deus que devia vir ao mundo".28 E depois de dizer isso, foi para casa e, chamando à parte Maria, disse-lhe: "O Mestre está aqui e está chamando você".29 Ao ouvir isso, Maria levantou-se depressa e foi ao encontro dele.30 Jesus ainda não tinha entrado no povoado, mas estava no lugar onde Marta o encontrara.31 Quando notaram que ela se levantou depressa e saiu, os judeus, que a estavam confortando em casa, seguiram-na, supondo que ela ia ao sepulcro, para ali chorar.32 Chegando ao lugar onde Jesus estava e vendo-o, Maria prostrou-se aos seus pés e disse: "Senhor, se estivesses aqui meu irmão não teria morrido".33 Ao ver chorando Maria e os judeus que a acompanhavam, Jesus agitou-se no espírito e perturbou-se.34 "Onde o colocaram? ", perguntou ele. "Vem e vê, Senhor", responderam eles.35 Jesus chorou.36 Então os judeus disseram: "Vejam como ele o amava! "37 Mas alguns deles disseram: "Ele, que abriu os olhos do cego, não poderia ter impedido que este homem morresse? "38 Jesus, outra vez profundamente comovido, foi até o sepulcro. Era uma gruta com uma pedra colocada à entrada.39 "Tirem a pedra", disse ele. Disse Marta, irmã do morto: "Senhor, ele já cheira mal, pois já faz quatro dias".40 Disse-lhe Jesus: "Não lhe falei que, se você cresse, veria a glória de Deus? "41 Então tiraram a pedra. Jesus olhou para cima e disse: "Pai, eu te agradeço porque me ouviste.42 Eu sabia que sempre me ouves, mas disse isso por causa do povo que está aqui, para que creia que tu me enviaste".43 Depois de dizer isso, Jesus bradou em alta voz: "Lázaro, venha para fora! "44 O morto saiu, com as mãos e os pés envolvidos em faixas de linho, e o rosto envolto num pano. Disse-lhes Jesus: "Tirem as faixas dele e deixem-no ir".45 Muitos dos judeus que tinham vindo visitar Maria, vendo o que Jesus fizera, creram nele.46 Mas alguns deles foram contar aos fariseus o que Jesus tinha feito.47 Então os chefes dos sacerdotes e os fariseus convocaram uma reunião do Sinédrio. "O que estamos fazendo? ", perguntaram eles. "Aí está esse homem realizando muitos sinais miraculosos.48 Se o deixarmos, todos crerão nele, e então os romanos virão e tirarão tanto o nosso lugar como a nossa nação".49 Então um deles, chamado Caifás, que naquele ano era o sumo sacerdote, tomou a palavra e disse: "Nada sabeis!50 Não percebeis que vos é melhor que morra um homem pelo povo, e que não pereça toda a nação".51 Ele não disse isso de si mesmo, mas, sendo o sumo sacerdote naquele ano, profetizou que Jesus morreria pela nação judaica,52 e não somente por aquela nação, mas também pelos filhos de Deus que estão espalhados, para reuni-los num povo.53 E daquele dia em diante, resolveram tirar-lhe a vida.54 Por essa razão, Jesus não andava mais publicamente entre os judeus. Ao invés disso, retirou-se para uma região próxima do deserto, para um povoado chamado Efraim, onde ficou com os seus discípulos.55 Ao se aproximar a Páscoa judaica, muitos foram daquela região para Jerusalém a fim de participarem das purificações cerimoniais antes da Páscoa.56 Continuavam procurando Jesus e, no templo, perguntavam uns aos outros: "O que vocês acham? Será que ele virá à festa? "57 Mas os chefes dos sacerdotes e os fariseus tinham ordenado que, se alguém soubesse onde Jesus estava, o denunciasse, para que o pudessem prender.

1 Now a certain man, named Lazarus, of Bethany, was lying ill– Bethany being the village of Mary and her sister Martha.2 (It was the Mary who poured the perfume over the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.)3 So the sisters sent to Him to say, »Master, he whom you hold dear is ill.«4 Jesus received the message and said, »This illness is not to end in death, but is to promote the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified by it.«5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.6 When, however, He heard that Lazarus was ill, He still remained two days in that same place.7 Then, after that, He said to the disciples, »Let us return to Judaea.«8 »Rabbi,« exclaimed the disciples, »the Jews have just been trying to stone you, and do you think of going back there again?«9 »Are there not twelve hours in the day?« replied Jesus. »If any one walks in the daytime, he does not stumble–because he sees the light of this world.10 But if a man walks by night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.«11 He said this, and afterwards He added, »Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I will go and wake him.«12 »Master,« said the disciples, »if he is asleep he will recover.«13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought He referred to the rest taken in ordinary sleep.14 So then He told them plainly,15 »Lazarus is dead; and for your sakes I am glad I was not there, in order that you may believe. But let us go to him.«16 »Let us go also,« Thomas, the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, »that we may die with him.«17 On His arrival Jesus found that Lazarus had already been three days in the tomb.18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, the distance being a little less than two miles;19 and a considerable number of the Jews were with Martha and Mary, having come to express sympathy with them on the death of their brother.20 Martha, however, as soon as she heard the tidings, »Jesus is coming,« went to meet Him; but Mary remained sitting in the house.21 So Martha came and spoke to Jesus. »Master, if you had been here,« she said, »my brother would not have died.22 And even now I know that whatever you ask God for, God will give you.«23 »Your brother shall rise again,« replied Jesus.24 »I know,« said Martha, »that he will rise again at the resurrection, on the last day.«25 »I am the Resurrection and the Life,« said Jesus; »he who believes in me, even if he has died, he shall live;26 and every one who is living and is a believer in me shall never, never die. Do you believe this?«27 »Yes, Master,« she replied; »I thoroughly believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.«28 After saying this, she went and called her sister Mary privately, telling her, »The Rabbi is here and is asking for you.«29 So she, on hearing that, rose up quickly to go to Him.30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.31 So the Jews who were with Mary in the house sympathizing with her, when they saw that she had risen hastily and had gone out, followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep aloud there.32 Mary then, when she came to Jesus and saw Him, fell at His feet and exclaimed, »Master, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.«33 Seeing her weeping aloud, and the Jews in like manner weeping who had come with her, Jesus, curbing the strong emotion of His spirit,34 though deeply troubled, asked them, »Where have you laid him?«»Master, come and see,« was their reply.35 Jesus wept.36 »See how dear he held him,« said the Jews.37 But others of them asked, »Was this man who opened the blind man's eyes unable to prevent this man from dying?«38 Jesus, however, again restraining His strong feeling, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone had been laid against the mouth of it.39 »Take away the stone,« said Jesus. Martha, the sister of the dead man, exclaimed, »Master, by this time there is a foul smell; for it is three days since he died.«40 »Did I not promise you,« replied Jesus, »that if you believe, you shall see the glory of God?«41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, »Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.42 I know that Thou always hearest me; but for the sake of the crowd standing round I have said this–that they may believe that Thou didst send me.«43 After speaking thus, He called out in a loud voice, »Lazarus, come out.«44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped in cloths, and his face wrapped round with a towel. »Untie him,« said Jesus, »and let him go free.«45 Thereupon a considerable number of the Jews– namely those who had come to Mary and had witnessed His deeds– became believers in Him;46 though some of them went off to the Pharisees and told them what He had done.47 Therefore the High Priests and the Pharisees held a meeting of the Sanhedrin. »What steps are we taking?« they asked one another; »for this man is performing a great number of miracles.48 If we leave him alone in this way, everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and blot out both our city and our nation.«49 But one of them, named Caiaphas, being High Priest that year, said, »You know nothing about it.50 You do not reflect that it is to your interest that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.«51 It was not as a mere man that he thus spoke. But being High Priest that year he was inspired to declare that Jesus was to die for the nation,52 and not for the nation only, but in order to unite into one body all the far-scattered children of God.53 So from that day forward they planned and schemed in order to put Him to death.54 Therefore Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but He left that neighbourhood and went into the district near the Desert, to a town called Ephraim, and remained there with the disciples.55 The Jewish Passover was coming near, and many from that district went up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.56 They therefore looked out for Jesus, and asked one another as they stood in the Temple, »What do you think? –will he come to the Festival at all?«57 Now the High Priests and the Pharisees had issued orders that if any one knew where He was, he should give information, so that they might arrest Him.