1 I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch in me which has no fruit, and every branch which has fruit he makes clean, so that it may have more fruit. 3 You are clean, even now, through the teaching which I have given you. 4 Be in me at all times as I am in you. As the branch is not able to give fruit of itself, if it is not still on the vine, so you are not able to do so if you are not in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: he who is in me at all times as I am in him, gives much fruit, because without me you are able to do nothing. 6 If a man does not keep himself in me, he becomes dead and is cut off like a dry branch; such branches are taken up and put in the fire and burned. 7 If you are in me at all times, and my words are in you, then anything for which you make a request will be done for you. 8 Here is my Father's glory, in that you give much fruit and so are my true disciples. 9 Even as the Father has given me his love, so I have given my love to you: be ever in my love. 10 If you keep my laws, you will be ever in my love, even as I have kept my Father's laws, and am ever in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that I may have joy in you and so that your joy may be complete. 12 This is the law I give you: Have love one for another, even as I have love for you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man gives up his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do what I give you orders to do. 15 No longer do I give you the name of servants; because a servant is without knowledge of what his master is doing: I give you the name of friends, because I have given you knowledge of all the things which my Father has said to me. 16 You did not take me for yourselves, but I took you for myself; and I gave you the work of going about and producing fruit which will be for ever; so that whatever request you make to the Father in my name he may give it to you. 17 So this is my law for you: Have love one for another. 18 If you are hated by the world, keep in mind that I was hated by the world before you. 19 If you were of the world, you would be loved by the world: but because you are not of the world, but I have taken you out of the world, you are hated by the world. 20 Keep in mind the words I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they were cruel to me, they will be cruel to you; if they kept my words, they will keep yours. 21 They will do all this to you because of my name — because they have no knowledge of him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and been their teacher they would have had no sin: but now they have no reason to give for their sin. 23 He who has hate for me has hate for my Father. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no other man ever did, they would have had no sin: but now they have seen, and they have had hate in their hearts for me and my Father. 25 This comes about so that the writing in their law may be made true, Their hate for me was without cause. 26 When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of true knowledge who comes from the Father — he will give witness about me; 27 And you, in addition, will give witness because you have been with me from the first.
John 15 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (27)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Jeremiah 2:21; Isaiah 27:2–3; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Isaiah 60:21; Psalm 80:8–19
- 2 Matthew 3:10; Hebrews 12:10–11; Matthew 15:13; Revelation 3:19; John 15:8
- 3 John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26; 1 Peter 1:22; John 13:10
- 4 1 John 2:6; Galatians 2:20; John 8:31; 2 John 9; John 6:56
- 5 Philippians 4:13; Colossians 1:10; John 15:16; Galatians 5:22; Proverbs 11:30
- 6 Matthew 7:19; Hebrews 6:7–8; Matthew 13:41; John 15:2; Matthew 3:10
- 7 Psalm 37:4; 1 John 5:14; John 14:13; 1 John 3:22; John 15:16
- 8 Matthew 5:16; John 8:31; Philippians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 9:10–15; John 15:5
- 9 John 17:23–24; John 17:26; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 1:5; John 15:13
- 10 John 14:15; 1 John 5:3; 1 John 3:21–24; 1 John 2:5; 2 Peter 2:21
- 11 Romans 15:13; John 17:13; John 16:24; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 1:4
- 12 1 John 4:21; 1 Peter 4:8; John 13:34; Ephesians 5:2; Romans 12:10
- 13 John 10:11; Ephesians 5:2; Romans 5:6–8; John 10:15; 1 John 4:7–11
- 14 Matthew 12:50; 1 John 5:3; James 2:23; John 14:21; John 14:15
- 15 Psalm 25:14; 1 Corinthians 2:9–12; Matthew 13:11; James 2:23; Colossians 1:26
- 16 Jeremiah 1:5–7; John 15:19; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 John 4:19
- 17 John 15:12; 1 John 3:14–17; 1 Peter 2:17
- 18 1 John 3:13; John 7:7; Luke 6:22; Mark 13:13; John 3:20
- 19 1 John 4:4–5; John 17:14–16; Ephesians 1:4–11; Titus 3:3–7; John 15:16
- 20 2 Timothy 3:12; John 13:16; Matthew 10:24; Ezekiel 3:7; 1 Corinthians 4:12
- 21 Matthew 10:22; John 16:3; John 8:19; Matthew 10:18; Matthew 24:9
- 22 John 9:41; James 4:17; Acts 17:30; Romans 1:20; John 12:48
- 23 John 8:40–42; 1 John 2:23; 2 John 9
- 24 John 14:9; John 5:36; John 10:32; John 7:31; John 10:37
- 25 Psalm 109:3; Psalm 69:4; Psalm 35:19; Luke 24:44; 2 Corinthians 11:7
- 26 John 14:26; John 14:16–17; John 16:13–15; Acts 5:32; Acts 2:32–33
- 27 1 John 4:14; John 21:24; Acts 10:39–42; Luke 24:48; Acts 23:11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Jesus called Himself the vine, and His disciples the branches, and His Father the husbandman; whereon we have already discoursed as we were able.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
All things good then have their reward, when they arrive at their proper end, but if they be cut off midway, shipwreck ensues.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 14 (1889)
… Him, as He does Himself declare to His disciples: "I will not now call you servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things which I have heard from My Father I have made known." For in that which He says, "I will not now call you servants," He indicates …
… handed down to us from the Lord, and to do nothing that our Lord has not first done for us: so that the cup which is offered in remembrance of Him should be mixed with wine. For, as Christ says, I am the true vine,' it follows that the blood of Christ is wine, not water; and the cup cannot …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For "He will burn the chaff," saith he, "with unquenchable fire." Thou seest that He is Lord of all things, and that He is Himself the Husbandman; albeit in another place He calls His Father the same. For "My Father," saith He, "is the Husbandman." Thus, inasmuch as He had spoken of an axe, lest thou shouldest suppose that the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)