1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Miriam and her sister, Martha. 2 It was that Miriam who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, "Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick." 4 But when Yeshua heard it, he said, "This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it." 5 Now Yeshua loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let’s go into Judea again."

8 The disciples asked him, "Rabbi, the Judeans were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?"

9 Yeshua answered, "Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him." 11 He said these things, and after that, he said to them, "Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep."

12 The disciples therefore said, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

13 Now Yeshua had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. 14 So Yeshua said to them plainly then, "Lazarus is dead. 15 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him."

16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let’s go also, that we may die with him."

17 So when Yeshua came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away. 19 Many of the Judeans had joined the women around Martha and Miriam, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Then when Martha heard that Yeshua was coming, she went and met him, but Miriam stayed in the house. 21 Therefore Martha said to Yeshua, "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." 23 Yeshua said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25 Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, God’s Son, he who comes into the world."

28 When she had said this, she went away and called Miriam, her sister, secretly, saying, "The Rabbi is here and is calling you."

29 When she heard this, she arose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Yeshua had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him. 31 Then the Judeans who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw Miriam, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." 32 Therefore when Miriam came to where Yeshua was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died."

33 When Yeshua therefore saw her weeping, and the Judeans weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 and said, "Where have you laid him?"

They told him, "Lord, come and see."

35 Yeshua wept.

36 The Judeans therefore said, "See how much affection he had for him!" 37 Some of them said, "Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?"

38 Yeshua therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Yeshua said, "Take away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

40 Yeshua said to her, "Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?"

41 So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Yeshua lifted up his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank you that you listened to me. 42 I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

44 He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.

Yeshua said to them, "Free him, and let him go."

45 Therefore many of the Judeans who came to Miriam and saw what Yeshua did believed in him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Yeshua had done. 47 The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, "What are we doing? For this man does many signs. 48 If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." 51 Now he didn’t say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Yeshua would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death. 54 Yeshua therefore walked no more openly among the Judeans, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.

55 Now the Passover in Judea was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought for Yeshua and spoke with one another as they stood in the temple, "What do you think—that he isn’t coming to the feast at all?" 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.

1 Havia em Betânia um homem chamado Lázaro, que vivia com suas irmãs, Maria e Marta.

2 Maria foi aquela que deitou o perfume muito caro sobre os pés de Jesus e os enxugou com os cabelos . Lázaro adoeceu,

3 e as duas irmãs mandaram recado a Jesus, dizendo: Senhor, o nosso irmão está muito mal.

4 Contudo, quando Jesus soube disso, observou: Essa doença não é para morte, mas para a glória de Deus. Eu, o Filho de Deus, receberei glória em resultado desta enfermidade.

5 Embora Jesus fosse muito amigo de Marta, de Maria e de Lázaro,

6 ficou onde estava durante mais dois dias, sem nada fazer para ir ter com eles.

7 Por fim, passados esses dois dias, disse aos discípulos: Vamos para a Judeia.

8 Mas os discípulos opuseram-se. Mestre, ainda há uns dias atrás os judeus procuraram matar-te, e queres voltar para lá?

9 Jesus respondeu: Há doze horas de luz em cada dia e em que uma pessoa pode caminhar sem tropeçar. Só de noite é que há perigo de se dar um passo em falso por causa da escuridão.

11 E acrescentou depois: O nosso amigo Lázaro adormeceu, mas agora vou acordá-lo!

12 Os discípulos, pensando que Jesus quisesse dizer que Lázaro estava a dormir normalmente, comentaram: Isso significa que está melhor. Mas o que Jesus queria dizer era que Lázaro tinha morrido.

14 Então disse-lhes abertamente: Lázaro morreu, e por vossa causa estou satisfeito por não me encontrar ali nessa altura, pois isto dar-vos-á outra oportunidade de confirmarem a vossa fé. Vamos ter com Lázaro.

16 Tomé, que também era chamado o Gémeo, disse aos outros discípulos: Vamos nós também, para morrer com Jesus.

17 Quando chegaram a Betânia, souberam que Lázaro já estava sepultado havia quatro dias. Betânia ficava a poucos quilómetros na estrada para Jerusalém, e muitos dos judeus tinham ido para consolar Marta e Maria na sua perda.

20 Quando Marta soube que Jesus vinha a caminho, foi ao seu encontro; mas Maria ficou em casa. Marta disse a Jesus, Senhor, se cá estivesses, o meu irmão não teria morrido. Mas eu sei que mesmo agora não é tarde demais, pois que tudo o que pedires a Deus ele te dará.

23 Jesus respondeu-lhe: O teu irmão ressuscitará.

24 Sim, tornou Marta, quando toda a gente ressuscitar no dia da ressurreição.

25 Jesus disse-lhe: Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida. Quem crer em mim viverá, mesmo que morra. É-lhe dada a vida eterna por crer em mim e nunca mais morrerá. Crês nisto, Marta?

27 Sim, Mestre. Creio que és o Messias, o Filho de Deus, aquele que há tanto tempo esperávamos.

28 Então ela retirou-se e foi chamar Maria à parte: O Mestre já chegou e quer ver-te. Esta foi logo ter com ele.

30 Ora, Jesus parara fora da aldeia, no local onde Marta se encontrara com ele. Quando os judeus, que estavam na casa e procuravam confortar Maria, a viram sair tão apressadamente, pensaram que fosse ao túmulo de Lázaro para chorar, e seguiram-na. Chegada ao sítio onde Jesus se encontrava, Maria caiu-lhe aos pés, dizendo: Senhor, se tivesses estado aqui, o meu irmão não teria morrido.

33 Ao vê-la chorar acompanhada no seu pranto pelas pessoas da terra, Jesus comoveu-se e sentiu forte emoção:

34 Onde está ele sepultado?, perguntou-lhes.Vem ver, disseram-lhe.

35 E Jesus chorou.

36 Vejam como ele era amigo de Lázaro!, comentaram as pessoas.

37 Mas outros disseram: Se pôde curar cegos, porque não evitou a morte de Lázaro?

38 Entretanto, chegaram ao sepulcro. Era uma gruta com uma pesada pedra a tapar a entrada.

39 Retirem a pedra, ordenou Jesus. Mas Marta, irmã de Lázaro, observou: Já deve cheirar muito mal, porque há quatro dias que morreu.

40 Jesus respondeu: Não te disse que, se creres, verás a glória de Deus?

41 Rolaram pois a pedra. Jesus ergueu o olhar para o céu e disse: Pai, graças te dou por me ouvires. Tu ouves-me sempre, mas digo isto por causa de toda a gente que aqui está, para que creiam que me enviaste. Então Jesus mandou, em voz muito forte: Lázaro, sai!

44 Lázaro surgiu, ainda todo envolvido em panos e o rosto tapado com uma toalha. Jesus ordenou-lhes: Desliguem-no e deixem-no ir!

45 E foi assim que, finalmente, muitos judeus que se encontravam com Maria, e viram isto acontecer, creram nele.

46 Alguns, porém, foram ter com os fariseus e contaram-lhes o sucedido.

47 Os principais sacerdotes e os fariseus convocaram o supremo conselho para discutir o caso. Que vamos fazer?, perguntavam-se uns aos outros. Não há dúvida de que este homem faz grandes milagres.

48 Se não interviermos, toda a gente o seguirá, e o exército romano virá e destruirá tanto o nosso templo como a nossa nação.

49 Um deles, Caifás, que naquele ano era supremo sacerdote, disse: Vocês não percebem nada. Deixem este homem morrer pelo povo. Porque é que se há-de perder toda a nação?

51 Esta revelação de que Jesus deveria morrer por toda a nação veio da boca de Caifás, no seu cargo de supremo sacerdote; não foi coisa que ele tivesse pensado por si próprio, mas foi inspirado a dizê-lo. Era uma predição de que a morte de Jesus não seria só por Israel, mas para reunir todos os filhos de Deus espalhados pelo mundo.

53 A partir daí, começaram a planear a morte de Jesus.

54 Jesus já não andava manifestamente em público. Saindo de Jerusalém, dirigiu-se para a proximidade do deserto, para a localidade de Efraim, onde ficou com os discípulos.

55 A Páscoa dos judeus estava próxima, e muitos daquela província entraram em Jerusalém antes da data para poderem proceder primeiro à cerimónia da purificação. Queriam ver Jesus e perguntavam uns aos outros: O que é que acham? Virá ele à Páscoa?

57 Entretanto, os principais sacerdotes e fariseus tinham anunciado publicamente que, se alguém visse Jesus, devia participar imediatamente o facto para que o pudessem prender.