John 20 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary from Magdala went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance.

So she ran to Simon Peter and the other student — the one Jesus loved — and told them, "They've taken the Master out of the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him!"

So Peter and the other student headed out for the tomb.

They were both running, but the other student outran Peter and got to the tomb first.

He bent down and looked in, and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go inside.

Then Simon Peter arrived right behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,

and the face cloth that had been on Jesus's head — it wasn't with the other wrappings but was folded up neatly by itself in a separate spot.

Then the other student — the one who had arrived first — went in too. He saw, and he trusted.

They still didn't understand the Scripture that said he had to rise from the dead.

Then the students went back to where they were staying.

But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb

and saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus's body had been lying — one at the head and one at the feet.

They asked her, "Why are you crying?" She said, "They've taken my Master away, and I don't know where they've put him."

After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there — but she didn't realize it was him.

Jesus asked her, "Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener and said, "Sir, if you've carried him off somewhere, tell me where you've put him, and I'll go get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned to face him and said in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" — which means "My Teacher!"

Jesus told her, "Don't hold on to me — I haven't gone up to the Father yet. But go to my brothers and sisters and tell them: 'I'm going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Mary from Magdala went and announced to the students, "I've seen the Master!" And she told them everything he had said to her.

That evening, on the first day of the week, the students were together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood right there among them and said, "Peace to you."

After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The students were overjoyed when they saw the Master.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I'm sending you."

Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Breath of God."

"If you forgive anyone's failures, they are forgiven. If you hold them accountable, they are held accountable."

Now Thomas — one of the twelve, called "The Twin" — wasn't with them when Jesus showed up.

So the other students told him, "We've seen the Master!" But Thomas said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side — I will not trust it."

A week later, his students were inside again, and Thomas was with them this time. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace to you."

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here — look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and trust."

Thomas responded, "My Master and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "You trust because you've seen me. Life will be good for those who trust without seeing."

Jesus performed many other signs in front of his students that aren't written down in this book.

But these have been written so that you will trust that Jesus is the One — the Son of God — and that by trusting, you will have limitless life through who he is.