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Jesus Cures a Man at the Bethesda Pool

Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a Jewish festival.

Near Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It had five porches. Under these porches a large number of sick people—people who were blind, lame, or paralyzed—used to lie.[a] One man, who had been sick for 38 years, was lying there. Jesus saw the man lying there and knew that he had been sick for a long time. So Jesus asked the man, “Would you like to get well?”

The sick man answered Jesus, “Sir, I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I’m trying to get there, someone else steps into the pool ahead of me.”

Jesus told the man, “Get up, pick up your cot, and walk.” The man immediately became well, picked up his cot, and walked.

That happened on a day of rest—a holy day. 10 So the Jews told the man who had been healed, “This is a day of rest—a holy day. You’re not allowed to carry your cot today.”

11 The man replied, “The man who made me well told me to pick up my cot and walk.”

12 The Jews asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who Jesus was. (Jesus had withdrawn from the crowd.)

14 Later, Jesus met the man in the temple courtyard and told him, “You’re well now. Stop sinning so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.”

15 The man went back to the Jews and told them that Jesus was the man who had made him well.

The Son Is Equal to the Father

16 The Jews began to persecute Jesus because he kept healing people on the day of rest—a holy day. 17 Jesus replied to them, “My Father is working right now, and so am I.”

18 His reply made the Jews more intent on killing him. Not only did he break the laws about the day of rest—a holy day, but also he made himself equal to God when he said repeatedly that God was his Father.

19 Jesus said to the Jews, “I can guarantee this truth: The Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing. Indeed, the Son does exactly what the Father does. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. The Father will show him even greater things to do than these things so that you will be amazed. 21 In the same way that the Father brings back the dead and gives them life, the Son gives life to anyone he chooses.

22 “The Father doesn’t judge anyone. He has entrusted judgment entirely to the Son 23 so that everyone will honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him. 24 I can guarantee this truth: Those who listen to what I say and believe in the one who sent me will have eternal life. They won’t be judged because they have already passed from death to life.

25 “I can guarantee this truth: A time is coming (and is now here) when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who respond to it will live. 26 The Father is the source of life, and he has enabled the Son to be the source of life too.

27 “He has also given the Son authority to pass judgment because he is the Son of Man.[b] 28 Don’t be surprised at what I’ve just said. A time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice, 29 and they will come out of their tombs. Those who have done good will come back to life and live. But those who have done evil will come back to life and will be judged. 30 I can’t do anything on my own. As I listen ⌞to the Father⌟, I make my judgments. My judgments are right because I don’t try to do what I want but what the one who sent me wants.

31 “If I testify on my own behalf, what I say isn’t true. 32 Someone else testifies on my behalf, and I know that what he says about me is true. 33 You sent people to John ⌞the Baptizer⌟, and he testified to the truth. 34 But I don’t depend on human testimony. I’m telling you this to save you. 35 John was a lamp that gave off brilliant light. For a time you enjoyed the pleasure of his light. 36 But I have something that testifies more favorably on my behalf than John’s testimony. The tasks that the Father gave me to carry out, these tasks which I perform, testify on my behalf. They prove that the Father has sent me. 37 The Father who sent me testifies on my behalf. You have never heard his voice, and you have never seen his form. 38 So you don’t have the Father’s message within you, because you don’t believe in the person he has sent. 39 You study the Scriptures in detail because you think you have the source of eternal life in them. These Scriptures testify on my behalf. 40 Yet, you don’t want to come to me to get ⌞eternal⌟ life.

41 “I don’t accept praise from humans. 42 But I know what kind of people you are. You don’t have any love for God. 43 I have come with the authority my Father has given me, but you don’t accept me. If someone else comes with his own authority, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe when you accept each other’s praise and don’t look for the praise that comes from the only God?

45 “Don’t think that I will accuse you in the presence of the Father. Moses, the one you trust, is already accusing you. 46 If you really believed Moses, you would believe me. Moses wrote about me. 47 If you don’t believe what Moses wrote, how will you ever believe what I say?”

Footnotes

  1. 5:3 Some manuscripts and translations add verses 3b–4: “They would wait for the water to move. People believed that at a certain time an angel from the Lord would go into the pool and stir up the water. The first person who would step into the water after it was stirred up would be cured from whatever disease he had.”
  2. 5:27 Son of Man   ” is a name Jesus called himself to show that he was not only God’s Son but also human.

When these events were completed, Jesus led His followers to Jerusalem where they would celebrate a Jewish feast[a] together.

Jesus takes His disciples into one of the most miserable places they have ever seen. The suffering and impurity is frightening, but He comes to serve these precious people.

2-3 In Jerusalem they came upon a pool by the sheep gate surrounded by five covered porches. In Hebrew this place is called Bethesda.

Crowds of people lined the area, lying around the porches. All of these people were disabled in some way; some were blind, lame, paralyzed, or plagued by diseases[; and they were waiting for the waters to move. From time to time, a heavenly messenger would come to stir the water in the pool. Whoever reached the water first and got in after it was agitated would be healed of his or her disease].[b] 5-6 In the crowd, Jesus noticed one particular man who had been living with his disability for 38 years. He knew this man had been waiting here a long time.

Jesus (to the disabled man): Are you here in this place hoping to be healed?

Disabled Man: Kind Sir, I wait, like all of these people, for the waters to stir; but I cannot walk. If I am to be healed in the waters, someone must carry me into the pool. Without a helping hand, someone else beats me to the water’s edge each time it is stirred.

Jesus: Stand up, carry your mat, and walk.

At the moment Jesus uttered these words, a healing energy coursed through the man and returned life to his limbs—he stood and walked for the first time in 38 years. But this was the Sabbath Day; and any work, including carrying a mat, was prohibited on this day.

It is impossible to imagine this man’s excitement. His entire life has been defined by his illness. Now he is free from it. Free from the pain and weakness. Free from the depression that gripped his soul. Free, too, from the shame he always knew. Now he does not just walk—he runs and celebrates with friends and family. Everyone is rejoicing with him, except for some of the Jewish leaders. Instead, they drill him with questions as if they can disregard this miracle.

Jewish Leaders (to the man who had been healed): 10 Must you be reminded that it is the Sabbath? You are not allowed to carry your mat today!

Formerly Disabled Man: 11 The man who healed me gave me specific instructions to carry my mat and go.

Jewish Leaders: 12 Who is the man who gave you these instructions? How can we identify Him?

13 The man genuinely did not know who it was that healed him. In the midst of the crowd and the excitement of his renewed health, Jesus had slipped away. 14 Some time later, Jesus found him in the temple and again spoke to him.

Jesus: Take a look at your body; it has been made whole and strong. So avoid a life of sin, or else a calamity greater than any disability may befall you.

15 The man went immediately to tell the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the mysterious healer. 16 So they began pursuing and attacking Jesus because He performed these miracles on the Sabbath.

Jesus (to His attackers): 17 My Father is at work. So I, too, am working.

This issue keeps arising from the Jewish leaders. They do not appreciate the good things Jesus does on the Sabbath. Most Jews cower at the rebuke from these men, but Jesus does not. He is very clear about this. He cares for the poor, the sick, and the marginalized more than He cares for how some people may interpret and apply God’s law. It is easy to follow a set of rules; it is much harder to care for the things of the heart. He also makes it clear that those who follow His path are put on earth to serve. His followers’ service comes out of love for Him. All who follow Him are to love and to serve, especially on the Sabbath.

18 He was justifying the importance of His work on the Sabbath, claiming God as His Father in ways that suggested He was equal to God. These pious religious leaders sought an opportunity to kill Jesus, and these words fueled their hatred.

Jesus: 19 The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father. 20 The Father loves the Son, so He does not hide His actions. Instead, He shows Him everything, and the things not yet revealed by the Father will dumbfound you. 21 The Father can give life to those who are dead; in the same way, the Son can give the gift of life to those He chooses.

22 The Father does not exert His power to judge anyone. Instead, He has given the authority as Judge to the Son. 23 So all of creation will honor and worship the Son as they do the Father. If you do not honor the Son, then you dishonor the Father who sent Him.

24 I tell you the truth: eternal life belongs to those who hear My voice and believe in the One who sent Me. These people have no reason to fear judgment because they have already left death and entered life.

25 I tell you the truth: a new day is imminent—in fact, it has arrived—when the voice of the Son of God will penetrate death’s domain, and everyone who hears will live. 26-27 You see, the Father radiates with life; and He also animates the Son of God with the same life-giving beauty and power to exercise judgment over all of creation. Indeed, the Son of God is also the Son of Man. 28 If this sounds amazing to you, what is even more amazing is that when the time comes, those buried long ago will hear His voice through all the rocks, sod, and soil 29 and step out of decay into resurrection. When this hour arrives, those who did good will be resurrected to life, and those who did evil will be resurrected to judgment.

30 I have not ever acted, and will not in the future act, on My own. I listen to the directions of the One who sent Me and act on these divine instructions. For this reason, My judgment is always fair and never self-serving. I’m committed to pursuing God’s agenda and not My own.

31 If I stand as the lone witness to My true identity, then I can be dismissed as a liar. 32 But if you listen, you will hear another testify about Me, and I know what He says about Me is genuine and true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he told the truth to everyone who would listen. 34 Still his message about Me originated in heaven, not in mortal man. I am telling you these things for one reason—so that you might be rescued. 35 The voice of John the Baptist, the wandering prophet, is like a light in the darkness; and for a time, you took great joy and pleasure in the light he offered.

36 There’s another witness standing in My corner who is greater than John or any other man. The mission that brings Me here, and the things I am called to do, demonstrate the authenticity of My calling which comes directly from the Father. 37 In the act of sending Me, the Father has endorsed Me. None of you really knows the Father. You have never heard His voice or seen His profile. 38 His word does not abide in you because you do not believe in the One sent by the Father.

39 Here you are scouring through the Scriptures, hoping that you will find eternal life among a pile of scrolls. What you don’t seem to understand is that the Scriptures point to Me. 40 Here I am with you, and still you reject the truth contained in the law and prophets by refusing to come to Me so that you can have life.

Jesus is the source of life, the animating energy of creation that humanity desperately lacks.

41 This kind of glory does not come from mortal men. 42 And I see that you do not possess the love of God. 43 I have pursued you, coming here in My Father’s name, and you have turned Me away. If someone else were to approach you with a different set of credentials, you would welcome him. 44 That’s why it is hard to see how true faith is even possible for you: you are consumed by the approval of other men, longing to look good in their eyes; and yet you disregard the approval of the one true God. 45 Don’t worry that I might bring you up on charges before My Father. Moses is your accuser even though you’ve put your hope in him 46 because if you believed what Moses had to say, then you would believe in Me because he wrote about Me. 47 But if you ignore Moses and the deeper meaning of his writings, then how will you ever believe what I have to say?

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Perhaps Passover
  2. 5:4 Some early manuscripts omit the end of verse 3 and all of verse 4.

The Healing at Bethesda

After these things there was (A)a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now in Jerusalem, by (B)the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which (C)in [a]Hebrew is called [b]Bethesda, having five [c]porticoes. In these porticoes lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, limping, or [d]paralyzed.[e] Now a man was there who had been [f]ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, *said to him, “Do you want to get well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus *said to him, (D)Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.

(E)Now it was a Sabbath on that day. 10 So (F)the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is a Sabbath, and (G)it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’ 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward, Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not (H)sin anymore, (I)so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and informed (J)the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason (K)the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father [g]is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

Jesus’ Equality with God

18 For this reason therefore (L)the Jews (M)were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, (N)making Himself equal with God.

19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (O)the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever [h]the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. 20 (P)For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him (Q)greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and (R)gives them life, so (S)the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but (T)He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. (U)The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and (V)believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and (W)does not come into judgment, but has (X)passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

25 Truly, truly, I say to you, [i](Y)a time is coming and [j]even now has arrived, when (Z)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who (AA)hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He (AB)gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to (AC)execute judgment, because He is [k]the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this; for [l](AD)a time is coming when (AE)all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come out: (AF)those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

30 (AG)I can do nothing [m]on My own. As I hear, I judge; and (AH)My judgment is [n]righteous, because I do not seek My own will but (AI)the will of Him who sent Me.

31 (AJ)If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not [o]true. 32 There is (AK)another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Testimony of John the Baptist

33 You have sent messengers to John, and he (AL)has testified to the truth. 34 But (AM)the testimony I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was (AN)the lamp that was burning and shining, and you (AO)were willing to rejoice for [p]a while in his light.

Testimony of Works

36 But the testimony I have is greater than the testimony of John; for (AP)the works which the Father has given Me (AQ)to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father (AR)has sent Me.

Testimony of the Father

37 And the Father who sent Me, (AS)He has testified about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 Also you do not have (AT)His word remaining in you, because you do not believe Him whom He (AU)sent.

Testimony of the Scripture

39 [q](AV)You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is (AW)those very Scriptures that testify about Me; 40 and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 (AX)I do not receive glory from people; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not [r]receive Me; (AY)if another comes in his own name, you will [s]receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you [t](AZ)accept [u]glory from one another and you do not seek (BA)the [v]glory that is from (BB)the one and only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is (BC)Moses, in whom you have put your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for (BD)he wrote about Me. 47 But (BE)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Footnotes

  1. John 5:2 I.e., Jewish Aramaic
  2. John 5:2 Some early mss Bethsaida or Bethzatha
  3. John 5:2 Or colonnades (with roofs)
  4. John 5:3 Or had shrunken limbs
  5. John 5:3 Late mss add the following as the remainder of v 3, and v 4: paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first stepped in after the stirring up of the water was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted
  6. John 5:5 Lit in his sickness
  7. John 5:17 I.e., has been and continues
  8. John 5:19 Lit that One
  9. John 5:25 Lit an hour
  10. John 5:25 Lit now is, when
  11. John 5:27 Or a son of man
  12. John 5:28 Lit an hour
  13. John 5:30 Or of Myself
  14. John 5:30 Or fair
  15. John 5:31 I.e., admissible as legal evidence
  16. John 5:35 Lit an hour
  17. John 5:39 Or (a command) Examine the Scriptures
  18. John 5:43 Or accept
  19. John 5:43 Or accept
  20. John 5:44 Or receive
  21. John 5:44 Or honor
  22. John 5:44 Or honor

Curación de un paralítico

Después de esto, se celebraba[a] una fiesta[b] de los judíos, y Jesús subió a Jerusalén(A). Hay en Jerusalén, junto a la puerta de las Ovejas(B), un estanque que en hebreo[c](C) se llama Betesda[d] que tiene cinco pórticos. En estos estaba en el suelo una multitud de enfermos, ciegos, cojos y paralíticos [e]que esperaban el movimiento del agua; porque un ángel del Señor descendía de vez en cuando al estanque y agitaba el agua; y el primero que descendía al estanque después del movimiento del agua, quedaba curado de cualquier enfermedad que tuviera.

Estaba allí un hombre que hacía treinta y ocho años que estaba enfermo[f]. Cuando Jesús lo vio acostado allí y supo que ya llevaba mucho tiempo en aquella condición, le dijo*: «¿Quieres ser sano?». El enfermo le respondió: «Señor, no tengo a nadie que me meta en el estanque cuando el agua es agitada(D); y mientras yo llego, otro baja antes que yo». Jesús le dijo*: «Levántate, toma tu camilla(E) y anda». Al instante el hombre quedó sano, y tomó su camilla y comenzó a andar.

Jesús censurado por sanar en el día de reposo

Pero aquel día era día de reposo(F).

10 Por eso los judíos(G) decían al que había sido sanado: «Es día de reposo, y no te es permitido cargar tu camilla(H)». 11 Pero él les respondió: «El mismo que me sanó, me dijo: “Toma tu camilla y anda”». 12 Le preguntaron: «¿Quién es el hombre que te dijo: “Toma tu camilla y anda”?».

13 Pero el que había sido sanado no sabía quién era, porque Jesús, sin que se dieran cuenta, se había apartado de la multitud que estaba en aquel lugar. 14 Después de esto Jesús lo halló* en el templo y le dijo: «Mira, has sido sanado; no peques más(I), para que no te suceda algo peor(J)».

15 El hombre se fue, y dijo a los judíos(K) que Jesús era el que lo había sanado. 16 A causa de esto los judíos(L) perseguían a Jesús, porque hacía estas cosas en el día de reposo. 17 Pero Jesús les respondió: «Hasta ahora Mi Padre trabaja, y Yo también trabajo». 18 Entonces, por esta causa, los judíos(M) aún más procuraban matar a Jesús, porque no solo violaba el día de reposo(N), sino que también llamaba a Dios Su propio Padre, haciéndose igual a Dios(O).

Unanimidad del Padre y del Hijo

19 Por eso Jesús les decía: «En verdad les digo que el Hijo no puede hacer nada por su cuenta(P), sino lo que ve hacer al Padre; porque todo lo que hace el Padre[g], eso también hace el Hijo de igual manera. 20 Pues el Padre ama al Hijo(Q), y le muestra todo lo que Él mismo hace; y obras mayores que estas(R) le mostrará, para que ustedes se queden asombrados. 21 Porque así como el Padre levanta a los muertos y les da vida(S), asimismo el Hijo también da vida(T) a los que Él quiere. 22 Porque ni aun el Padre juzga a nadie, sino que todo juicio se lo ha confiado[h] al Hijo(U), 23 para que todos honren al Hijo así como honran al Padre. El que no honra al Hijo, no honra al Padre que lo envió(V).

24 »En verdad les digo: el que oye Mi palabra y cree al que me envió, tiene vida eterna(W) y no viene a condenación[i](X), sino que ha pasado de muerte a vida(Y). 25 En verdad les digo que viene la hora, y ahora es(Z), cuando los muertos(AA) oirán la voz del Hijo de Dios, y los que oigan(AB) vivirán. 26 Porque como el Padre tiene vida en Él mismo, así también le dio al Hijo el tener vida en Él mismo(AC); 27 y le dio autoridad para ejecutar juicio(AD), porque Él es el Hijo del Hombre.

28 »No se queden asombrados de esto, porque viene la hora(AE) en que todos los que están en los sepulcros(AF) oirán Su voz, 29 y saldrán: los que hicieron lo bueno, a resurrección de vida, y los que practicaron lo malo, a resurrección de juicio(AG).

Testimonio del Padre y de las obras de Jesús

30 »Yo no puedo hacer nada por iniciativa Mía(AH); como oigo, juzgo, y Mi juicio es justo(AI) porque no busco Mi voluntad, sino la voluntad del que me envió(AJ).

31 »Si Yo solo doy testimonio de Mí mismo(AK), Mi testimonio no es verdadero[j]. 32 Otro es el que da testimonio de Mí(AL), y Yo sé que el testimonio que da de Mí es verdadero.

33 »Ustedes han enviado a preguntar a Juan, y él ha dado testimonio(AM) de la verdad. 34 Pero el testimonio que Yo recibo no es de hombre(AN); pero digo esto para que ustedes sean salvos. 35 Él era la lámpara que ardía y alumbraba(AO), y ustedes estaban dispuestos a regocijarse por un tiempo en su luz(AP).

36 »Pero el testimonio que Yo tengo es mayor que el de Juan; porque las obras que el Padre me ha dado para llevar a cabo(AQ), las mismas obras que Yo hago, dan testimonio de Mí(AR), de que el Padre me ha enviado(AS). 37 El Padre que me envió, Él ha dado testimonio de Mí(AT). Pero ustedes no han oído jamás Su voz ni han visto Su apariencia. 38 Y Su palabra no la tienen morando en ustedes(AU), porque no creen en Aquel que Él envió(AV). 39 Ustedes examinan[k] las Escrituras porque piensan tener en ellas la vida eterna(AW). ¡Y son ellas las que dan testimonio de Mí(AX)! 40 Pero ustedes no quieren venir a Mí para que tengan esa vida.

41 »Yo no recibo gloria de los hombres(AY); 42 pero a ustedes ya los conozco, que no tienen el amor de Dios. 43 Yo he venido en nombre de Mi Padre y ustedes no me reciben; si otro viene en su propio nombre(AZ), a ese recibirán. 44 ¿Cómo pueden creer, cuando reciben gloria los unos de los otros(BA), y no buscan la gloria que viene del Dios único(BB)?

45 »No piensen que Yo los acusaré delante del Padre; el que los acusa es Moisés(BC), en quien ustedes han puesto su esperanza. 46 Porque si creyeran a Moisés, me creerían a Mí, porque de Mí escribió él(BD). 47 Pero si no creen sus escritos(BE), ¿cómo creerán Mis palabras?».

Footnotes

  1. Juan 5:1 Lit. había.
  2. Juan 5:1 Algunos mss. dicen: la fiesta; i.e. la Pascua.
  3. Juan 5:2 I.e. en arameo judaico.
  4. Juan 5:2 Otros mss. dicen: Betsaida, o Betzata.
  5. Juan 5:3 Los mss. más antiguos no incluyen el resto del vers. 3 y todo el vers. 4.
  6. Juan 5:5 Lit. con su enfermedad.
  7. Juan 5:19 Lit. aquel.
  8. Juan 5:22 Lit. dado.
  9. Juan 5:24 Lit. a juicio.
  10. Juan 5:31 I.e. admisible como prueba legal.
  11. Juan 5:39 O Examinen.