1 “I have told you these things so that you will not walk into a trap, 2 for they will expel you from fellowship. Yet the time is coming when whoever kills you will think they’re serving God, 3 and they will do these things to you because they knew neither me nor my Father. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told you, though I didn’t say them at first. 5 Yet now I am going back to the one who sent me, but you no longer need to ask me where I’m going.
6 “I see that what I’ve said to you has filled you with sorrow. 7 But I tell you honestly that my leaving is for your benefit; if I don’t go away, the Advocate will not come to you. 8 His arrival will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 about sin, since in fact they don’t put their trust in me; 10 about righteousness, since I am returning to my Father and you will no longer see me; 11 about judgment, since the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 “I still have a lot to say to you, but you cannot stand it right now. 13 Yet whenever the Spirit of Truth comes, it will guide you in all truth. It will not be speaking of its own accord, but only what it hears, and it will tell you about things to come. 14 That will honor me, because it will tell you what I tell it. 15 Everything the Father has is mine; that’s why I told you it will tell you what it gets from me.
Grief will become joy
16 “Soon you will no longer see me, but a short time after that you will see me again.” 17 Then some of his disciples said to each other, “What does he mean, ‘Soon you will no longer see me, but a short time after that you will see me again’, and, ‘I am returning to the Father’?” 18 So they said, “What is this ‘short’ time he’s talking about? We don’t understand what he’s saying.”
19 Jesus knew what they wanted to ask him, so he said, “You are wondering what I meant when I said you wouldn’t see me but then a short time later you would see me. 20 I tell you very truly that you will cry and mourn while the world celebrates; you will be upset but your sadness will turn into happiness.
21 “When a woman goes into labor she dreads the time that has come upon her. But when the little one is born she forgets the suffering for the joy that a person has come into the world. 22 Likewise, you will in fact be sad, yet I will see you again and you will be filled with happiness— a happiness no one can take away. 23 And in that day you will not ask me for anything; I tell you very truly that whatever you ask the Father as my representatives, he will grant it to you. 24 Up to this point you have not asked anything as my representatives; now ask, and you will receive, so you may be filled with happiness.
25 “I have told you these things in illustrations, but the time is coming when I will not speak this way but will bluntly tell you about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask as my representatives, but I’m not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf, 27 because the Father himself is fond of you for being fond of me and believing that I came out from God. 28 I left my dwelling with the Father and have come into the world; now I’m leaving the world and returning to the Father.”
29 Then his disciples said, “See? Now you’re talking bluntly instead of using illustrations. 30 Now we see that you know everything, and you have no need for anyone to ask you. For this, we believe that you came out from God.”
31 “You believe at last!” Jesus exclaimed. 32 “Look! The time is coming— in fact it has arrived— for you all to be scattered, each one going your own way, leaving me alone. Of course, I’m not really alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. You will have oppression in the world, but take courage! I have conquered the world!”