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17
Jesus asked God to look after his followers
1 After Jesus finished telling them all those things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come for me to finish the job you sent me to do. I want you to show people that I am really great and powerful, so that people will look at me, and they will see that you are really great and powerful too, and then they will respect both you and me.
2 You gave me power over everyone, so that I can give life to the people you gave me, so they will live with you for ever. 3 Yes, if people know you, and if they know that you are the only real God, and if they know me, and if they know that I am the Christ that you sent to them, those people will live with us for ever.
4 I did everything that you sent me here to do, and when people saw me do that, they saw that you are great and powerful. 5 And now, Father, when I come back to you, show people that I am great and powerful, just like I was when I was with you, before we made the world together. 6 You gave me some people from the world, and I showed them what you are like. They were your people, but you gave them to me. I taught them your word, and they did what you said. 7 Now they know that everything that I said came from you. 8 I told them the message that you told me, and they believed it. Now they know for sure that you sent me to the world.
9 Father, I am just asking you to look after the people you gave me. I am not talking about the people that belong to this world. 10 All my people are your people, and all your people are mine. And they show other people that I am great and powerful. 11 Very soon I will leave this world and come back to you. But my people will still be in this world, so, Father in heaven, I ask you to look after them. You can use your power to do that, the same power that you gave me. Join them together, and make them one mob, just like you and me are joined together, like we are one.
12 While I was here on earth, I took care of them. I used the power you gave me to look after them, and I didn’t lose any of them. The only one I lost was the one that has to die, just like your man wrote in your book, a long time ago.* Psalm 41:9; 109:6-8; John 13:18
13 Father, I am coming to you soon, but I am saying these things now, while I am still here in the world, so that my followers can be properly happy inside themselves, just like I am. 14 I told them your message, and they listened to me, and they believed me. They don’t belong here in this world, just like I don’t belong here. So the people that belong to this world hate them.
15 I am not asking you to take my followers away from the people that belong to this world. I am asking you to keep them safe from the devil, the boss over the bad spirits. 16 They don’t belong in this world, just like I don’t belong in this world.
17 Make them your own special people, that only listen to your true message. Your word is that true message. 18 You sent me into the world to tell people your message, and just like that, I am sending them into the world to tell people your message. 19 And I am giving myself to you to do your work. I will do that to help my followers, so that they will give themselves to you to do your work, and only listen to your true message.”
Jesus prayed for the people that will believe later on
20 Jesus kept on talking to God. He said, “I am not asking that you only help these followers here with me now. Later they will tell other people about me, and some of those people will believe in me. So I am asking you to help those other people too. 21 Join them all together, Father, and make them one mob, just like you and me are joined together. It’s like you are in me, and I am in you. I want you to join them to us in the same way, so it’s like they are in us. Then people in the world can believe that you sent me to the world.
22 You made me special, and in the same way I made them special, so that you can join them together and make them one mob, just like you and me are joined together, like we are one. 23 I want to be joined to them, so it’s like I am in them, just like you are joined to me, so it’s like you are in me. Then they will be one mob, joined together properly. Then the people that belong to this world will know that you sent me to the world. And they will also know that you love my followers just as much as you love me.
24 Father, you gave me these people, and I want them to be with me. I want them to see that you gave me the same great power that you have. You loved me and gave me that power before we made the world. 25 Father, you always do what is right. But the people that belong to this world don’t know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me to the world. 26 I showed my followers what you are like, and I will keep on showing them, so that they will love each other, just like you love me. And I will be joined to them, so it’s like I am in them.”

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*17:12 Psalm 41:9; 109:6-8; John 13:18

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