Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me
shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But
I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not. All that
which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out. For I am come down from heaven, not to
do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the
will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I
should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. For this
is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and
believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at
the last day."
The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, "I am the
bread which came down out of heaven." And they said, "Is not this
Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he
now say 'I am come down out of heaven'?"
Jesus answered and said unto them, "Murmur not among yourselves. No
man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I
will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And
they shall all be taught of God.' Every one that hath heard from the
Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen
the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life. I am the
bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they
died. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down
out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever:
yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the
world."
The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, "How can this man
give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus therefore said unto them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have
not life in yourselves. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my
flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my
flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him. As the living
Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth
me, he also shall live because of me. This is the bread which came
down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died; he that eateth
this bread shall live for ever."
These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is
a hard saying; who can hear it?"
But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said
unto them, "Doth this cause you to stumble? What then if ye should
behold the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit
that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have
spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you
that believe not."
For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and
who it was that should betray him. And he said, "For this cause have I
said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto
him of the Father."
Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with
him. Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, "Would ye also go away?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the
words of eternal life. And we have believed and know that thou art the
Holy One of God."
Jesus answered them, "Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you
is a devil?"
Now he spake of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he it was that
should betray him, being one of the twelve.