John 21 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

After all this, Jesus showed himself again to the students by the Sea of Tiberias. Here's how it happened:

Simon Peter, Thomas (called "the Twin"), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two other students were all together.

Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." They said, "We'll come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that whole night they caught nothing.

Just as the sun was coming up, Jesus stood on the shore — but the students didn't realize it was him.

Jesus called out to them, "Friends, you haven't caught any fish, have you?" They answered, "No."

He told them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some." So they did, and they couldn't haul it in because there were so many fish.

Then the student Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!" As soon as Simon Peter heard it was the Master, he threw on his outer garment — he'd stripped it off for work — and jumped into the sea.

The other students followed in the boat, dragging the net full of fish — they weren't far from shore, only about a hundred yards out.

When they stepped onto shore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."

Simon Peter climbed aboard and hauled the net to shore. It was full of large fish — 153 of them — and even with that many, the net didn't tear.

Jesus said to them, "Come have breakfast." None of the students dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Master.

Jesus came over, took the bread, and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

This was now the third time Jesus showed himself to the students after he was raised from the dead.

After they'd eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John — do you love me more than these others do?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Master, you know I care about you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

Jesus asked him a second time, "Simon, son of John — do you love me?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Master, you know I care about you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."

Jesus asked him a third time, "Simon, son of John — do you care about me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked him a third time, "Do you care about me?" He said, "Master, you know everything. You know I care about you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

"I'm telling you the straight truth: when you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you're old, you'll stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and take you where you don't want to go."

He said this to indicate what kind of death Peter would use to bring honor to God. Then he said to him, "Follow me."

Peter turned around and saw the student Jesus loved following them — the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the dinner and asked, "Master, who's going to hand you over?"

When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, "Master, what about him?"

Jesus said to him, "If I want him to stay until I come back, what's that to you? You follow me."

So the word spread among the brothers and sisters that this student wouldn't die. But Jesus didn't actually say he wouldn't die — he said, "If I want him to stay until I come back, what's that to you?"

This is the student who is testifying about these things and who wrote them down. And we know that his testimony is true.

There's so much more Jesus did. If every bit of it were written down, I don't think the world itself could hold all the books that would be written.