In the clause I tell the truth the pronoun I is emphatic. Jesus declares that these people to whom he speaks are not children of Abraham or children of God; rather they are children of the Devil, the source of all lies, and so they cannot believe the truth when they hear it.

The phrase believe me must be taken with the meaning “to believe what I say” rather than “to have faith in me.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .