74. The Woman Caught in Adultery

        ²Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. ³The Jews brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do you say about her?” ⁶This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.^a
        Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁸And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁹But when they read it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?”
        ¹¹She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go your way.”
        (Jn. 8:2–6, 8–11)

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a   “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.”—The Jewish leaders may have reasoned thus: If Jesus opposed stoning her, he could be accused of setting himself above Moses and the Jewish law; if he approved the stoning, he could be brought before the Roman authorities, who denied the Jews the right to execute the death sentence without their approval; and if he refused to answer, they could accuse him of cowardice.

Jn. 8:3   The Jews brought / The scribes and Pharisees brought (RSV)
Jn. 8:5   such a woman. / such. (RSV)
Jn. 8:9   they read it, / they heard it, (RSV)
Jn. 8:10  are your accusers? (Ber) / are they? (RSV)
Jn. 8:11  go your way.” (ASV) / go, and do not sin again.” (RSV)   (162:3/1792–3)

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