Jesus answered is literally “Jesus said to them.” You would not be guilty is literally “you would not have sin.” In the light of the Old Testament, where sin may refer either to the deed itself or to guilt resulting from it, it is possible to take the word “sin” with the more specific meaning of guilt in this context. Phillips misses the meaning by translating “nobody could blame you.”

You are still guilty is literally “your guilt/sin remains” (see Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible). The verb “to remain,” one of John’s favorite terms, is generally used in a positive sense; here, its connotation is clearly negative.

In some languages a clear distinction is made between “sin” and “guilt.” “Sin” refers to the process of doing wrong, while “guilt” refers to the condemnation which rests upon the individual who has done wrong. In some languages guilt is expressed as “the weight of one’s sins” or “the counting of one’s sins.” In others it may be necessary to explain guilt as a declaration of having sinned, for example, “If you were blind, you could not be condemned for having sinned” or “… you would not be condemned even though you had sinned.”

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 .