John 17 : Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Prays for His Followers
17 1After Jesus said these things he looked toward heaven. Jesus prayed, "Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you. 2You gave the Son power over all people so that the Son could give eternal life to all those people you have given to him. 3And this is eternal life: that men can know you, the only true God, and that men can know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. 4I finished the work you gave me to do. I brought you glory on earth. 5And now, Father, give me glory with you. Give me the glory I had with you before the world was made. 6"You gave me some men from the world. I have shown them what you are like. Those men belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your teaching. 7Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. 8I gave these men the teachings that you gave me. They accepted those teachings. They know that I truly came from you. And they believed that you sent me. 9I pray for them now. I am not praying for the people in the world. But I am praying for these men you gave me, because they are yours. 10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And my glory is seen in these men. 11Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world now. But these men are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe. Keep them safe by the power of your name (the name you gave me), so that they will be one, the same as you and I are one. 12While I was with them, I kept them safe. I kept them safe by the power of your name--the name you gave me. I protected them. And only one of them was lost--the man (Judas) that chose to be lost. He was lost so that what was said in the Scripture* would happen. 13"I am coming to you now. But I pray these things while I am still in the world. I say these things so that these men can have the true happiness that I have. I want them to be completely happy. 14I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them. The world hated these men, because they don't belong to the world, the same as I don't belong to the world. 15I am not asking you to take them out of the world. But I am asking that you keep them safe from the Evil One (the devil). 16They don't belong to the world, the same as I don't belong to the world. 17Make them ready for your service through your truth. Your teaching is truth. 18I have sent them into the world, the same as you sent me into the world. 19I am making myself ready to serve. I do this for them, so that they can truly be ready for your service. 20"I pray for these men. But I am also praying for all people that will believe in me because of the teaching of these men. 21Father, I pray that all people that believe in me can be one. You are in me and I am in you. I pray that these people can also be one in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22I have given these people the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, the same as you and I are one. 23I will be in them, and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me. And the world will know that you loved these people the same as you loved me. 24"Father, I want these people that you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory. This is the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made. 25Father, you are the One who is good. The world does not know you, but I know you. And these people know that you sent me. 26I showed them what you are like. And again I will show them what you are like. Then they will have the same love that you have for me. And I will live in them."
Scripture Part of the Holy Writings--Old Testament.