17Verse 1After Jesus said those things, he looked up toward heaven. Then he prayed, “My Father, it is now the time [MTY] for me to suffer and die. Honor me as I do that, in order that I may honor you.Verse 2You gave me authority over all people, in order that I might enable all those whom you chose to come to me to live eternally.Verse 3The way for people to live eternally is for them to know that you are the only true God, and to know that I, Jesus, am the Messiah, the one you have sent.Verse 4I have honored you here on this earth by completing all the work that you gave me to do.Verse 5My Father, now honor me when I am with you again, by causing me to have the greatness I had when I was with you before the world began.”
Jesus prayed that God would protect his disciples.
Verse 6“I have revealed what you are like to the people whom you brought to me from among those who do not belong to you [MTY]. Those who came to me belonged to you, and you brought them to me. Now they have obeyed your message.Verse 7Now they know that everything you have given me, your message and your work, comes from you.Verse 8I gave them the message that you gave me, and they have accepted it. They now know for certain that I came from you. They now believe that you sent me.Verse 9I am praying for them. I am not praying for those who do not belong to you [MTY]. Instead, I am praying for those whom you have brought to me, because they belong to you.Verse 10All the disciples that I have belong to you, and all those who belong to you also belong to me. They have shown how great I am.Verse 11I will not be staying in the world any longer. I will be coming back to you. They, however, will be here in the world among those who are opposed to you. My Holy Father, protect them from spiritual harm by your power [MTY], the power that you gave me, in order that they may be united as we are united.Verse 12While I have been with them, I have completely protected them by the power [MTY] that you gave me. As a result, only one of them will be eternally separated from you. He is the one who was doomed to be eternally separated from you. That has happened to fulfill what a prophet wrote in the Scriptures would happen.Verse 13Father, now I am about to return to you. I have said these things while I am still here in the world in order that my disciples may fully experience being joyful, as I have been joyful.Verse 14I have given them your message. As a result, those who are opposed to you [MTY] have hated them, because my disciples do not belong to those who oppose you [MTY], just like I do not belong to those who oppose you [MTY].Verse 15I am asking you, not that you take them out of this world, but instead that you protect them from Satan, the evil one.Verse 16They do not belong to those who are opposed to you [MTY], just like I also do not belong to them.Verse 17Set my disciples apart so that they may ◄completely belong to/serve► you, by enabling them to live in accordance with what is true. Your message is true.Verse 18Just like you sent me here into this world, now I surely will be sending them to other places in [MTY] the world.Verse 19I dedicate myself to completely belong to you, in order that they also may truly be dedicated {dedicate themselves} completely to you.”
Jesus prayed for future believers.
Verse 20“I am praying not only for these eleven disciples. I am praying also for those who will believe in me as a result of hearing their message.Verse 21My Father, I want all of them to be united, just like I am united with you because of my relationship with you, and as you are united with me because of your relationship with me. I also want them to be united with us. I want that to happen so that those who do not know you [MTY] may know that you sent me.Verse 22I have honored my disciples just like you honored me, in order that they may be united, as we are united.Verse 23I want them to be united just like they are united with me and as you are united with me. May they be completely united, in order that those who do not belong to you [MTY] may know that you sent me and that you have loved them just like you have loved me.Verse 24My Father, I want the disciples you have brought to me to some day be with me in heaven, where I will be. I want them to see my greatness. I want them to see the greatness you gave me because you loved me. You gave me that greatness before you created the world.Verse 25My righteous Father, although the people who do not belong to you [MTY] do not know what you are like, I know what you are like, and my disciples know that you sent me.Verse 26I have revealed to them what you are like, and I will continue to reveal to them what you are like. I will do that in order that they may love others just like you love me, and in order that I may be in them by my Spirit.”