7 They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything You gave me is firsthand from You,
8 For the message You gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from You.
They believed that You sent Me.
9 I pray for them.
I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those You gave Me,
For they are yours by right.
10 Everything Mine is Yours, and Yours Mine,
And My life is on display in them.
11 For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world;
They'll continue in the world
While I return to You.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That You conferred as a gift through Me,
So they can be one heart and mind
12 As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life You gave through Me;
I even posted a night watch.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)