John 16

Io 16.1Haec locūtus sum vōbīs, ut nōn scandalizēminī.

These things I have spoken to you, so that you may not be made to stumble.

Note. nōn scandalizēminī: from the Greek skandalizō, 'cause to stumble, trip up'. The negative purpose clause uses ut nōn here instead of classical nē.

Io 16.2Absque synagōgīs facient vōs: sed venit hōra, ut omnis quī interficit vōs arbitrētur obsequium sē praestāre Deō.

Outside the synagogues they will make you; but an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think that he is offering service to God.

Note. Absque synagōgīs facient vōs: a literal rendering of a Greek expression, 'they will make you (people) outside the synagogues', i.e. expel you. venit hōra ut: 'the hour is coming when'. arbitrētur: deponent, present subjunctive in the ut clause; obsequium sē praestāre is accusative and infinitive after it.

Io 16.3Et haec facient vōbīs, quia nōn nōvērunt Patrem, neque mē.

And these things they will do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Note. nōvērunt: perfect of nōscō with present meaning, 'they know' (literally 'they have come to know').

Io 16.4Sed haec locūtus sum vōbīs, ut cum vēnerit hōra eōrum, reminīscāminī quia ego dīxī vōbīs.

But these things I have spoken to you so that, when their hour has come, you may remember that I said them to you.

Note. cum vēnerit hōra eōrum: future perfect after cum about the future. reminīscāminī: subjunctive of the deponent reminīscor in the purpose clause.

Io 16.5Haec autem vōbīs ab initiō nōn dīxī, quia vōbīscum eram. Et nunc vādō ad eum quī mīsit mē; et nēmō ex vōbīs interrogat mē: Quō vādis?

But these things I did not say to you from the beginning, because I was with you. And now I go to him who sent me; and no one out of you asks me: Where are you going?

Note. Quō vādis?: 'Where are you going?' quō asks 'to where'; ubi asks 'where (at)'. vādō, a vivid verb for 'go', is common in Church Latin.

Io 16.6sed quia haec locūtus sum vōbīs, trīstitia implēvit cor vestrum.

but because I have spoken these things to you, sadness has filled your heart.

Note. trīstitia implēvit: the abstract noun is the subject: 'sadness has filled your heart'. cor is singular though many hearts are meant.

Io 16.7Sed ego vēritātem dīcō vōbīs: expedit vōbīs ut ego vādam: sī enim nōn abierō, Paraclītus nōn veniet ad vōs; sī autem abierō, mittam eum ad vōs.

But I tell you the truth: it is useful for you that I go away; for if I have not gone away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I have gone away, I will send him to you.

Note. expedit vōbīs ut: impersonal, 'it is good for you that'. sī ... abierō ... nōn veniet: future perfect and future in a future condition, as in 15.10.

Io 16.8Et cum vēnerit ille, arguet mundum dē peccātō, et dē iūstitiā, et dē iūdiciō.

And when that one has come, he will convict the world about sin, and about justice, and about judgment.

Note. arguet mundum dē peccātō: arguō 'convict, expose', with dē for the charge. The three topics are taken up one by one in the next three verses, each with dē + ablative and a quia clause.

Io 16.9Dē peccātō quidem, quia nōn crēdidērunt in mē.

About sin, indeed, because they did not believe in me;

Io 16.10Dē iūstitiā vērō, quia ad Patrem vādō, et iam nōn vidēbitis mē.

about justice, moreover, because I go to the Father, and now you will not see me;

Io 16.11Dē iūdiciō autem, quia prīnceps huius mundī iam iūdicātus est.

but about judgment, because the prince of this world has already been judged.

Note. prīnceps huius mundī: 'the ruler of this world'. iūdicātus est: perfect passive, 'has been judged'.

Io 16.12Adhūc multa habeō vōbīs dīcere, sed nōn potestis portāre modo.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot carry them now.

Note. habeō vōbīs dīcere: habeō with an infinitive, 'I have (things) to say'; this construction later becomes the future tense in the Romance languages.

Io 16.13Cum autem vēnerit ille Spīritus vēritātis, docēbit vōs omnem vēritātem: nōn enim loquētur ā sēmetipsō, sed quaecumque audiet loquētur, et quae ventūra sunt annūntiābit vōbīs.

But when that Spirit of truth has come, he will teach you all truth; for he will not speak from himself, but whatever things he will hear he will speak, and the things which are going to come he will announce to you.

Note. quae ventūra sunt: the future participle of veniō with sum, 'the things that are going to come'. loquētur, from loquor: a deponent future.

Io 16.14Ille mē clārificābit, quia dē meō accipiet, et annūntiābit vōbīs.

That one will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and will announce it to you.

Note. dē meō accipiet: 'he will receive from what is mine'; meō is a neuter adjective used as a noun.

Io 16.15Omnia quaecumque habet Pater, mea sunt. Proptereā dīxī: quia dē meō accipiet, et annūntiābit vōbīs.

All things whatever the Father has are mine. For that reason I said that he will receive from what is mine and will announce it to you.

Io 16.16Modicum, et iam nōn vidēbitis mē; et iterum modicum, et vidēbitis mē: quia vādō ad Patrem.

A little while, and now you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me: because I go to the Father.

Note. Modicum: 'a little (while)', a neuter used as an adverb of time. The disciples puzzle over the word in the next verses, so it is repeated almost like a quotation.

Io 16.17Dīxērunt ergō ex discipulīs eius ad invicem: Quid est hoc quod dīcit nōbīs: Modicum, et nōn vidēbitis mē; et iterum modicum, et vidēbitis mē, et quia vādō ad Patrem?

So some out of his disciples said to one another: What is this which he says to us: A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me; and: because I go to the Father?

Note. ad invicem: 'to one another'. Quid est hoc quod dīcit: 'What is this that he says'; hoc is the subject, quod a relative.

Io 16.18Dīcēbant ergō: Quid est hoc quod dīcit: Modicum? nescīmus quid loquitur.

So they were saying: What is this which he says: A little while? We do not know what he is saying.

Note. nescīmus quid loquitur: an indirect question with the indicative, a feature of later and colloquial Latin; classical usage would have loquātur.

Io 16.19Cognōvit autem Iēsus, quia volēbant eum interrogāre, et dīxit eīs: Dē hōc quaeritis inter vōs quia dīxī: Modicum, et nōn vidēbitis mē; et iterum modicum, et vidēbitis mē.

But Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them: About this you are asking among yourselves, that I said: A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me.

Note. Cognōvit autem Iēsūs, quia volēbant: quia introduces what he knew, 'that they wanted'. volēbant is the imperfect of volō 'want'.

Io 16.20Āmēn, āmēn dīcō vōbīs: quia plōrābitis, et flēbitis vōs, mundus autem gaudēbit; vōs autem contrīstābiminī, sed trīstitia vestra vertētur in gaudium.

Amen, amen I say to you: that you will lament and weep, but the world will rejoice; you, however, will be saddened, but your sadness will be turned into joy.

Note. Āmēn, āmēn: a Hebrew word ('truly') kept untranslated in Latin; John always doubles it. quia here introduces what is said, 'that'. contrīstābiminī: future passive of contrīstō, 'you will be made sad'.

Io 16.21Mulier cum parit, trīstitiam habet, quia vēnit hōra eius; cum autem pepererit puerum, iam nōn meminit pressūrae propter gaudium, quia nātus est homō in mundum.

A woman, when she gives birth, has sadness, because her hour has come; but when she has borne the child, now she does not remember the distress, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world.

Note. cum parit ... cum autem pepererit: cum with the indicative in a general statement, 'whenever'. pressūrae: meminī takes the genitive. quia nātus est homō: 'that a human being has been born'.

Io 16.22Et vōs igitur nunc quidem trīstitiam habētis, iterum autem vidēbō vōs, et gaudēbit cor vestrum: et gaudium vestrum nēmō tollet ā vōbīs.

And you therefore now indeed have sadness, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice; and your joy no one will take from you.

Io 16.23Et in illō diē mē nōn rogābitis quidquam. Āmēn, āmēn dīcō vōbīs: sī quid petieritis Patrem in nōmine meō, dabit vōbīs.

And on that day you will not ask me anything. Amen, amen I say to you: if you have asked the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you.

Note. quidquam: 'anything', used after a negative (nōn rogābitis). sī quid petieritis: quid after sī means 'anything'.

Io 16.24Usque modo nōn petīstis quidquam in nōmine meō: petite, et accipiētis, ut gaudium vestrum sit plēnum.

Up to now you have not asked anything in my name: ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.

Note. Usque modo: 'up to now'. petīstis is a shortened form of petīvistis. ut ... sit plēnum: purpose clause.

Io 16.25Haec in prōverbiīs locūtus sum vōbīs. Venit hōra cum iam nōn in prōverbiīs loquar vōbīs, sed palam dē Patre annūntiābō vōbīs:

These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but openly I will announce to you about the Father:

Note. in prōverbiīs: prōverbium here means a figure of speech or riddle, not a short saying. Venit hōra cum: 'the hour is coming when'.

Io 16.26in illō diē in nōmine meō petētis: et nōn dīcō vōbīs quia ego rogābō Patrem dē vōbīs:

on that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father about you:

Io 16.27ipse enim Pater amat vōs, quia vōs mē amāstis, et crēdidistis, quia ego ā Deō exīvī.

for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came out from God.

Note. ipse enim Pater: ipse emphasizes Pater, 'the Father himself'. a Deō exīvī: exīvī, perfect of exeō 'go out'.

Io 16.28Exīvī ā Patre, et vēnī in mundum: iterum relinquō mundum, et vādō ad Patrem.

I came out from the Father, and came into the world; again I leave the world, and go to the Father.

Io 16.29Dīcunt eī discipulī eius: Ecce nunc palam loqueris, et prōverbium nūllum dīcis:

His disciples say to him: Look, now you are speaking openly, and you are saying no figure of speech:

Io 16.30nunc scīmus quia scīs omnia, et nōn opus est tibi ut quis tē interroget: in hōc crēdimus quia ā Deō exīstī.

now we know that you know all things, and there is no need for you that anyone question you: in this we believe that you came out from God.

Note. nōn opus est tibi ut quis tē interroget: opus est 'there is need', with dative of the person; quis after ut is 'anyone'. in hōc 'by this, for this reason'.

Io 16.31Respondit eīs Iēsus: Modo crēditis?

Jesus answered them: Now you believe?

Io 16.32ecce venit hōra, et iam vēnit, ut dispergāminī ūnusquisque in propria, et mē sōlum relinquātis: et nōn sum sōlus, quia Pater mēcum est.

Look, an hour is coming, and has already come, that you be scattered each one to his own, and leave me alone; and I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

Note. ut dispergāminī ūnusquisque in propria: the ut clause explains hōra, 'when you will be scattered, each one to his own (home)'. ūnusquisque is singular, set beside a plural verb. mē sōlum: sōlum is the adjective agreeing with mē.

Io 16.33Haec locūtus sum vōbīs, ut in mē pācem habeātis. In mundō pressūram habēbitis: sed cōnfīdite, ego vīcī mundum.

These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have distress; but have confidence: I have conquered the world.

Note. Cōnfīdite: imperative, 'take courage'. vīcī: perfect of vincō, 'I have conquered'; do not confuse with vīcus 'village'.