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1Many of the Jews therefore, 2who had come with Mary and 3had seen what he did, believed in him,
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but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
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So the chief priests and the Pharisees 4gathered 5the Council and said, 6"What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
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If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and 7the Romans will come and take away both our 8place and our nation."
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But one of them, 9Caiaphas, 10who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all.
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Nor do you understand that 11it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish."
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He did not say this of his own accord, but 12being high priest that year 13he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
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and 14not for the nation only, but also 15to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
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So from that day on they 16made plans to put him to death.
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Jesus therefore 17no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
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Now 18the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and 19many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover 20to purify themselves.
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21They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, "What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?"
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Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.