Jesus had three very close friends who lived in Bethany. They were Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. One day, while Jesus was on the other side of the Jordan, Mary and Martha sent him an urgent message: ‘Lazarus is very sick. Please come quickly!’ But Jesus did not go right away. He waited for two more days and then said to his disciples: ‘Let’s go to Bethany. Lazarus is sleeping, and I am going to wake him up.’ The apostles said: ‘If Lazarus is asleep, that will help him to get well.’ So Jesus told them clearly: ‘Lazarus has died.’

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had already been buried for four days. Crowds of people had come to comfort Martha and Mary. When Martha heard that Jesus had come, she rushed to meet him. She said: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus told her: ‘Your brother will live again. Do you believe this, Martha?’ She said: ‘I believe that he will rise in the resurrection.’ Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Then Martha went to Mary and told her: ‘Jesus is here.’ Mary ran to Jesus, and the crowd followed. She fell down at his feet, and she could not stop crying. She said: ‘Lord, if you had been here, our brother would still be alive!’ Jesus saw how much she was suffering, and he also began to cry. When the crowd saw his tears, they said: ‘See how Jesus loved Lazarus.’ But some wondered: ‘Why didn’t he save his friend?’ What would Jesus do next?

Jesus went to the tomb, where a large stone covered the entrance. He commanded: ‘Roll the stone away.’ Martha said: ‘But it has been four days! His body will smell.’ Still, they rolled the stone away, and Jesus prayed: ‘Father, thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but I speak aloud  so that these people may know that you sent me.’ Then he called out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come out!” Something amazing happened: Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped in linen cloths. Jesus said: “Free him and let him go.”

Many who saw this put faith in Jesus. But some went and told the Pharisees. From then on, the Pharisees wanted to kill both Lazarus and Jesus. One of the 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot, secretly went to the Pharisees and asked: ‘How much will you pay me if I help you to find Jesus?’ They agreed to pay 30 pieces of silver, and Judas began to look for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to the Pharisees.

Jesu ghaa mwẹ ọse eha ne kankankan vbe Bẹtani. Eni iran ọre Lazarọs, Meri kevbe Mata. Etẹn ẹre iran eha ghaa khin. Vbe Jesu ghi rre odin ọghe Perea vbe ẹdẹ ọkpa, e Meri vbe Mata keghi gie uhunmwu gie ẹre. Iran keghi tama rẹn wẹẹ: ‘E Lazarọs khuọnmwi. Lahọ, zẹgiẹ gha dee!’ Sokpan Jesu ma yo vbobọvbobọ. Vbe ikpẹdẹ eva ghi gberra nẹ, Jesu keghi tama erhuanegbe ẹre wẹẹ: ‘Wa gi ima gha rrie Bẹtani. E Lazarọs vbiẹ, I khian ya huẹn ọnrẹn.’ Avbe ukọ ọghe Jesu keghi tama rẹn wẹẹ: ‘Adeghẹ e Lazarọs vbiẹ, egbe gha rran rẹn, vbe ọ gha rhiọrre nẹ.’ Jesu na ghi gbe ẹre ẹho rua ma iran wẹẹ: ‘E Lazarọs wu nẹ.’

Vbe ọ ghi rre ikpẹdẹ nogienẹ na ya ree Lazarọs, Jesu keghi sẹ e Bẹtani. Emwa nibun ni rre do rhie ifuẹko ne Meri vbe Mata ghaa rre evba. E Mata ghi họn wẹẹ Jesu rre, ọ na rhulẹ bu Jesu. Ọ na tama rẹn wẹẹ: “Nọyaẹnmwa, akpawẹ u rre emwa na, ọtẹnmwẹ ghẹ wu.” Jesu keghi tama rẹn wẹẹ: ‘Ọtuẹn gha rhiọkpaegbe. E Mata, uwẹ ya ọna yi ra?’ E Mata na wanniẹn ọnrẹn wẹẹ: ‘I yayi wẹẹ ọ gha kpaegbe vbe ẹdẹ arhiọkpaegbe.’ Ẹre Jesu na tama rẹn wẹẹ: “Mẹ ọre arhiọkpaegbe kevbe arrọọ.”

E Mata na bu e Meri ya tama rẹn wẹẹ: ‘Jesu rre nẹ.’ E Meri kevbe emwa ni gbẹbu na wa rhulẹ bu Jesu. E Meri keghi fan fi iguẹ vbe odaro Jesu, ọ na gha viẹ. Ọ keghi tama Jesu wẹẹ: ‘Nọyaẹnmwa, u kpa gha rre emwa, ọtẹnmwẹ ghẹ te wu!’ Jesu ghi bẹghe vbene Meri ya viẹ hẹ, irẹn tobọ irẹn na vbe suẹn eve. Vbe emwa ni gbẹbu ghi bẹghe Jesu vbe ọ viẹ, iran na kha wẹẹ: ‘U ma miẹn vbene ọ hoẹmwẹ e Lazarọs hẹ!’ Sokpan eso vbuwe iran na gha kha wẹẹ: ‘Vbọzẹe ne ọ ma na ru ẹre ne ọsiọre ghẹ wu?’ De emwi ne Jesu khian ghi ru?

Jesu kegha rrie idin na ree Lazarọs yi. Okuta nọkhua ghaa rre odaro nene idin. Jesu na ghi tama iran wẹẹ: ‘Wa werriẹ okuta na hin.’ Ẹre Mata na kha wẹẹ: ‘Nẹghẹdẹnẹ ẹre a ghi muẹn yotọ! Ẹi mwẹ ọ ma gha wia nẹ.’ Iran ghi werriẹ nene okuta hin nẹ, Jesu keghi na erhunmwu gie Jehova wẹẹ: ‘Evbavba, I kpọnmwọn ne u na danmwehọ mwẹ. Ẹghẹ hia ẹre u ya danmwehọ mwẹ. Sokpan rhunmwuda iran ni rre emwa, ẹre I gu na erhunmwu na ladian, ne iran mieke na rẹn wẹẹ, uwẹ ẹre ọ gie mwẹ rre.’  Vbe iyeke ọni, ọ keghi ya urhu nọ lae kha wẹẹ: “E Lazarọs, ladian!” Vbe ọwarọkpa nii, e Lazarọs keghi ladian, ke irẹn ke ukpọn na ya gbalọe. Ẹre Jesu na ghi kha wẹẹ: “Wa rhan rẹn, ne uwa gi ẹre gha khian.”

Emwa nibun ni miẹn emwi ọyunnuan na keghi mu ẹtin yan Jesu. Sokpan emwa eso na ya tama Ivbi e Farisi emwi nọ sunu. Ke ẹghẹ nii kpa, Ivbi e Farisi na gha gualọ vbene iran khian ya gbe Jesu vbe Lazarọs rua hẹ. Judas Iskariọt nọ re ọkpa vbe ukọ 12 ọghe Jesu, keghi bu Ivbi e Farisi ya nọ iran wẹẹ: ‘Inu igho ẹre uwa khian rhie mẹ deghẹ I na rhie Jesu ye uwa obọ?’ Iran na tama e Judas wẹẹ, iran gha hae esiliva 30. Ke ẹghẹ nii kpa, e Judas kegha gualọ vbene ọ khian ya mu e Jesu ye obọ Ivbi e Farisi hẹ.