Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Jesus Predicts His Death

^<20>Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast. ^<21>They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ^<22>Philip relayed this appeal to Andrew, and both of them went and told Jesus.

^<23>But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ^<24>Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ^<25>Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ^<26>If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

^<27>Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. ^<28>Father, glorify Your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

^<29>The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

^<30>In response, Jesus said, “This voice was not for My benefit, but yours. ^<31>Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. ^<32>And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.” ^<33>He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

^<34>The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

^<35>Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ^<36>While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.”

After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them.

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

The seed must die to be fruitful

^<20>A little later some Gentiles who had converted to Judaism and who had come up to Jerusalem to worship at the festival ^<21>approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee. These Gentiles asked Philip, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus, to have a serious conversation with him.’ ^<22>Philip told Andrew and then both Philip and Andrew in turn told this to Jesus.

^<23>Jesus answered them, ‘The time has now come for me, the Son of Man, to be honoured and to share in my Father’s glory. I must now leave this world. I must suffer and die, be buried, rise again and return to my Father’s glory. ^<24>I am telling you the truth, a grain of wheat must be planted in the ground. Its life-giving seed must [] die in order to be fruitful and produce more seeds. If it doesn’t die, it will remain as only one seed. My life is like that. My life given up in death will be a sacrifice that will result in a rich spiritual harvest. I must die in order to give life to many. ^<25>Your lives are like that seed, too. If you cling tightly to your life, you will lose it and have nothing in the end. It will be like the single seed that never gives up its life for others to grow. But if you deny yourselves and take more delight in God than in the ways of the world and if you love me above all that is dear to you in this world, then you will keep your life for ever and it will flourish. ^<26>If you claim to serve me, then you must follow me where I go. Where I am present, my servant is there also. We cannot be separated. If you truly serve me, my Father will honour you and you will enjoy my presence with you always.’

A voice from heaven

^<27>Jesus continued, ‘My soul is in real anguish, but what am I to say? “Father, save me from this time of suffering and death”? But I know it was for this exact purpose that I’ve come to this time so I will not shrink from fulfilling my Father’s purpose. I must bear the burden of the sins of humanity. Father, I submit to you willingly. ^<28>I ask you, Father, honour your name again now. What is most important is that your glorious majesty is displayed for all to see.’

In response to this, a voice called out from heaven, ‘I have honoured my name and I will honour it again.’ ^<29>Many people were standing by and heard the sound but couldn’t make out what had been said. Some people described it as being as awe-inspiring as thunder. Others said that it was the voice of an angel speaking words of encouragement to Jesus.

^<30>Jesus himself responded, ‘This voice was not for my benefit to encourage me but more for yours as a sign to confirm my purpose in coming as the Messiah and Saviour of the world. ^<31>The time for the judgment of this rebellious world has now come. The prince of this world, Satan, will now be decisively defeated when I die on the cross. He will be driven out. His power will be smashed. My death and resurrection will shatter the chains of guilt and condemnation that have held humanity captive. ^<32>When I, the Son of Man, have died and been raised up from the earth, I will powerfully draw people from all over the world to myself.’ ^<33>(Jesus spoke in this way to describe how he would die.)

Different responses to Jesus

^<34>People in the crowd replied, ‘We have read in the law that the Messiah will continue to live for ever, that he will establish a kingdom which will never end. So what do you mean by saying, “The Son of Man must die and then be raised up from the earth”? Anyway, who is this “Son of Man”?’

^<35>Jesus answered them, reminding them of their responsibility. ‘I am the Son of Man. You’re going to have me—the light—with you for only a little while longer. Don’t waste your lives on worthless pursuits, but seize every opportunity to do good. Make your way through life trusting in the light while you still have the light with you in case the darkness overtakes you. Be careful: if you walk in the dark, you won’t have light to see where you’re going. ^<36>So I urge you to trust in me, the light of the world, while you still have the light with you, and you will become the children of light. Then the glow of my love will shine through you to lead others out of darkness.’ After he had finished saying all these things, Jesus left them and decided to lie low and adopt a low profile. His public ministry was coming to an end.