John 15

Io 15.1Ego sum vītis vēra, et Pater meus agricola est.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

Note. Ego sum ... : the last of John's 'I am' sayings with a predicate (vītis vēra). Pater meus agricola est: agricola is a masculine first-declension noun, like nauta and poēta.

Io 15.2Omnem palmitem in mē nōn ferentem frūctum, tollet eum, et omnem quī fert frūctum, pūrgābit eum, ut frūctum plūs afferat.

Every branch in me not bearing fruit, he will take it away; and every one which bears fruit, he will clean it, so that it may bring more fruit.

Note. The sentence starts with an object (omnem palmitem ... nōn ferentem frūctum) and then picks it up again with eum: a 'hanging' accusative, common in spoken and Biblical Latin. ut ... afferat: purpose clause, present subjunctive after a future main verb. plūs here is an adverb-like neuter: 'more fruit'.

Io 15.3Iam vōs mundī estis propter sermōnem quem locūtus sum vōbīs.

Already you are clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Note. mundī: the adjective mundus 'clean', not the noun mundus 'world' that fills these chapters. The pun with purgābit in the verse before is deliberate.

Io 15.4Manēte in mē, et ego in vōbīs. Sīcut palmes nōn potest ferre frūctum ā sēmetipsō, nisi mānserit in vīte, sīc nec vōs, nisi in mē mānseritis.

Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it has remained in the vine, so neither you, unless you have remained in me.

Note. Manēte: imperative plural. et ego in vōbīs: supply maneō. nisi manserit / nisi manseritis: future perfect in a condition about the future, 'unless it has remained', where English uses a present. The verb is again understood in the last clause (sīc nec vōs [potestis ferre frūctum]).

Io 15.5Ego sum vītis, vōs palmitēs: quī manet in mē, et ego in eō, hic fert frūctum multum, quia sine mē nihil potestis facere.

I am the vine, you the branches: who remains in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

Note. hic fert: hic is the pronoun 'this one', picking up the relative clause quī manet. sine mē nihil potestis facere: nihil is the object of facere.

Io 15.6Sī quis in mē nōn mānserit, mittētur forās sīcut palmes, et ārēscet, et colligent eum, et in ignem mittent, et ārdet.

If anyone has not remained in me, he will be sent outside like a branch, and will dry up, and they will gather it, and into the fire they will send it, and it burns.

Note. Sī quis: after sī, quis means 'anyone' (the indefinite). The verbs shift from future (mittētur, ārēscet, colligent, mittent) to present (ārdet): the last picture is what simply happens to such branches.

Io 15.7Sī mānseritis in mē, et verba mea in vōbīs mānserint, quodcumque volueritis petētis, et fīet vōbīs.

If you have remained in me, and my words have remained in you, whatever you will have wished you will ask, and it will be done for you.

Note. quodcumque volueritis: future perfect of volō, 'whatever you (will) have wished'. fīet vōbīs: future of fīō, 'it will be done for you'; vōbīs is a dative of advantage.

Io 15.8In hōc clārificātus est Pater meus, ut frūctum plūrimum afferātis, et efficiāminī meī discipulī.

In this my Father has been glorified, that you bring very much fruit and are made my disciples.

Note. In hōc ... ut: 'in this ..., namely that': the ut clause explains hōc. plūrimum is the superlative of multus agreeing with frūctum. efficiāminī: present subjunctive passive, 'be made'.

Io 15.9Sīcut dīlēxit mē Pater, et ego dīlēxī vōs. Manēte in dīlēctiōne meā.

Just as the Father has loved me, I too have loved you. Remain in my love.

Note. dīlēxit, dīlēxī: perfect of dīligō, the regular Vulgate verb for love; dīlēctiō (Manēte in dīlēctiōne meā) is the noun made from it.

Io 15.10Sī praecepta mea servāveritis, manēbitis in dīlēctiōne meā, sīcut et ego Patris meī praecepta servāvī, et maneō in eius dīlēctiōne.

If you have kept my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I too have kept the commands of my Father and remain in his love.

Note. Another future-more-vivid condition: future perfect (servāveritis) in the if-clause, future (manēbitis) in the main clause. sīcut et ego: et here means 'also, too'.

Io 15.11Haec locūtus sum vōbīs: ut gaudium meum in vōbīs sit, et gaudium vestrum impleātur.

These things I have spoken to you, so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled.

Note. Haec locūtus sum vōbīs: a formula that runs through these chapters, followed by an ut purpose clause. locūtus sum is the perfect of the deponent loquor: passive form, active meaning.

Io 15.12Hoc est praeceptum meum, ut dīligātis invicem, sīcut dīlēxī vōs.

This is my command, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

Note. ut dīligātis invicem: the ut clause defines praeceptum ('that you love'). invicem 'one another' is an adverb in Latin; classical writers would say inter vōs.

Io 15.13Maiōrem hāc dīlēctiōnem nēmō habet, ut animam suam pōnat quis prō amīcīs suīs.

Greater love than this no one has, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Note. Maiōrem hāc dīlēctiōnem: hāc is an ablative of comparison, 'greater than this'. ut animam suam pōnat quis: the ut clause explains hāc; quis after ut is the indefinite 'someone'. anima here is 'life'.

Io 15.14Vōs amīcī meī estis, sī fēceritis quae ego praecipiō vōbīs.

You are my friends, if you have done the things which I command you.

Io 15.15Iam nōn dīcam vōs servōs: quia servus nescit quid faciat dominus eius. Vōs autem dīxī amīcōs: quia omnia quaecumque audīvī ā Patre meō, nōta fēcī vōbīs.

Now I will not call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. But you I have called friends, because all things whatever I heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Note. Iam nōn dīcam vōs servōs: dīcō with two accusatives, 'call X Y'. nescit quid faciat: indirect question, subjunctive. nōta fēcī: 'I made known'; nōta is neuter plural agreeing with omnia.

Io 15.16Nōn vōs mē ēlēgistis, sed ego ēlēgī vōs, et posuī vōs ut eātis, et frūctum afferātis, et frūctus vester maneat: ut quodcumque petieritis Patrem in nōmine meō, det vōbīs.

Not you chose me, but I chose you, and I placed you so that you may go and bring fruit, and your fruit may remain; so that whatever you have asked the Father in my name, he may give you.

Note. posuī vōs ut eātis: eātis is the present subjunctive of eō 'go'. petieritis Patrem: petō can take the person asked in the accusative in Church Latin.

Io 15.17Haec mandō vōbīs: ut dīligātis invicem.

These things I command you: that you love one another.

Io 15.18Sī mundus vōs ōdit, scītōte quia mē priōrem vōbīs odiō habuit.

If the world hates you, know that it held me in hatred earlier than you.

Note. scītōte: the 'future' imperative of sciō, which is the normal imperative of this verb. quia here introduces what they are to know, 'that'. priōrem vōbīs: vōbīs is an ablative of comparison, 'before you'. odiō habēre 'to hold in hatred, to hate'.

Io 15.19Sī dē mundō fuissētis, mundus quod suum erat dīligeret: quia vērō dē mundō nōn estis, sed ego ēlēgī vōs dē mundō, proptereā ōdit vōs mundus.

If you had been of the world, the world would love what was its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for that reason the world hates you.

Note. A contrary-to-fact condition: pluperfect subjunctive (fuissētis) in the if-clause, imperfect subjunctive (dīligeret) in the main clause, 'if you had been ..., the world would love ...'. quod suum erat: 'what was its own'.

Io 15.20Mementōte sermōnis meī, quem ego dīxī vōbīs: nōn est servus maior dominō suō. Sī mē persecūtī sunt, et vōs persequentur; sī sermōnem meum servāvērunt, et vestrum servābunt.

Remember my word, which I said to you: a slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also; if they have kept my word, they will keep yours also.

Note. Mementōte: imperative of the defective verb meminī, 'remember', which takes the genitive (sermōnis meī). maior dominō suō: dominō is an ablative of comparison. et vōs, et vestrum: et means 'also'.

Io 15.21Sed haec omnia facient vōbīs propter nōmen meum: quia nesciunt eum quī mīsit mē.

But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

Io 15.22Sī nōn vēnissem, et locūtus fuissem eīs, peccātum nōn habērent: nunc autem excūsātiōnem nōn habent dē peccātō suō.

If I had not come and had not spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse about their sin.

Note. Sī nōn vēnissem ... nōn habērent: past contrary-to-fact in the if-clause, present contrary-to-fact in the result: 'if I had not come ..., they would not (now) have sin'. dē peccātō suō: 'about their sin'.

Io 15.23Quī mē ōdit, et Patrem meum ōdit.

Who hates me, hates my Father also.

Io 15.24Sī opera nōn fēcissem in eīs quae nēmō alius fēcit, peccātum nōn habērent: nunc autem et vīdērunt, et ōdērunt et mē, et Patrem meum.

If I had not done among them works which no one else has done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.

Note. in eīs: 'among them'. et vīdērunt et ōdērunt et mē et Patrem: the doubled et ... et means 'both ... and'. ōdērunt is perfect in form but present in meaning, like ōdī.

Io 15.25Sed ut adimpleātur sermō, quī in lēge eōrum scrīptus est: Quia odiō habuērunt mē grātīs.

But it is so that the saying may be filled up which is written in their law: They held me in hatred for nothing.

Note. Sed ut adimpleātur sermō: the main verb is left out, 'but (this happened) so that the word might be fulfilled'. Quia here introduces a quotation (from the Psalms) and need not be translated. grātīs: 'for nothing, without cause'.

Io 15.26Cum autem vēnerit Paraclītus, quem ego mittam vōbīs ā Patre, Spīritum vēritātis, quī ā Patre prōcēdit, ille testimōnium perhibēbit dē mē;

But when the Paraclete has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, he will bear witness about me;

Note. Paraclītus: a Greek word, 'one called to someone's side': advocate, helper, comforter. Spīritum veritātis stands in apposition to quem, so it is accusative. testimōnium perhibēre: 'to bear witness', a favourite phrase of John.

Io 15.27et vōs testimōnium perhibēbitis, quia ab initiō mēcum estis.

and you will bear witness, because you are with me from the beginning.

Note. mēcum: cum is joined to the end of personal pronouns (mēcum, tēcum, nōbīscum, vōbīscum). estis: the present covers past and present, 'you have been with me'.