John 16:16-24

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Sorrow Turned to Joy

¹⁶ “A little while^(A) and you will no longer see Me;^(B) again a little while and you will see Me.”^[a]

¹⁷ Therefore some of His disciples said to one another, “What is this He tells us: ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’^(C)?” ¹⁸ They said, “What is this He is saying,^[b] ‘A little while’? We don’t know what He’s talking about!”

¹⁹ Jesus knew they wanted to question Him, so He said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me’?

²⁰ “I assure you: You will weep and wail,^(D) but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful,^(E) but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹ When a woman is in labor she has pain^(F) because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child,^(G) she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. ²² So you also have sorrow^[c] now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice,^(H) and no one will rob you of your joy.^{(I) 23} In that day you will not ask Me anything.

“I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.^{(J) 24} Until now you have asked for nothing in My name.^(K) Ask and you will receive,^(L) so that your joy may be complete.^(M)