John 8:2-11

The Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus

2 Early the next morning, Jesus returned to the temple in Jerusalem. All the people came to him. He sat down and he began to teach them. 3 The Pharisees and the teachers of God's Law brought a woman to him. They had found her with another man. She was having sex with a man who was not her husband. They made her stand in front of all the people there. 4 They said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we found this woman. She was having sex with a man who was not her husband. 5 In God's Law Moses says that we should throw stones at this kind of woman, to kill her. What do you say about this?’ 6 They asked this question for a reason. They wanted Jesus to say something wrong, so that they could punish him. But Jesus bent himself down. He started to write on the ground with his finger.

7 The Pharisees and the teachers of God's Law continued to ask Jesus questions. So he stood up and he said to them, ‘Any person among you who is not guilty of any sin may throw the first stone to kill her.’ 8 Then he bent himself down again and he wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard what Jesus said, the people began to go away. They went one by one. The older people went first. After some time, only Jesus remained with the woman. She was still standing there. 10 Jesus stood up. He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Is there nobody still here who wants to punish you?’ 11 She said, ‘There is nobody, sir.’ So Jesus said, ‘I also do not want to punish you. Go away now and change the way you live. Do not do wrong things again.’]