John 2

2 ¹ On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."

⁴ "Woman, why are you bringing me into this?" Jesus replied. "My hour has not yet come." ^a a v4 "Woman" was a respectful form of address in that culture, though it sounds abrupt in modern English.

⁵ His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

⁶ Standing nearby were six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. ^b b v6 Each jar held about 20 to 30 gallons (75 to 115 liters) — these were large vessels. ⁷ Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water," so they filled them to the brim. ⁸ Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." And they did. ⁹ The master of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine. He did not know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, "Everyone serves the best wine first, and the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best until now." ¹¹ This, the first of his signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

¹³ When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Cleansing the Temple Courts

¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, both the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those selling doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

¹⁸ Then the Jews responded, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

²⁰ They replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it up in three days?" ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

²³ While he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need anyone to tell him about people, for he himself knew what was in each person.