John 1

The Prologue to the Gospel

1 In the beginnings was the Word, and the Word was with God,t and the Word was fully God.ts2 The Wordt was with God in the beginning.3 All things were createdt by him, and apart from him not one thing was createdt that has been created.st4 In him was life,ts and the life was the light of mankind.t

5 And the light shines onts in the darkness,s butt the darkness has not mastered it.t
6 A man came, sent from God, whose name was John.s7 He came as a witnessts to testifyt about the light, so that everyonet might believe through him.8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testifyt about the light.9 The true light, who gives light to everyone,t was coming into the world.ts10 He was in the world, and the world was createdt by him, butt the world did not recognizet him.11 He came to what was his own,t butt his own peoplet did not receive him.s12 But to all who have received him – those who believe in his namet – he has given the right to become God’s children

13 – children not bornt by human parentst or by human desiret or a husband’st decision,t but by God.
14 Nowt the Word became flesht and took up residencets among us. Wet saw his glory – the glory of the one and only,t full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.15 Johns testifiedt about him and shouted out,t “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am,t because he existed before me.’”16 For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another.ts17 For the law was given through Moses, butt grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has ever seen God. The only one,st himself God, who is in closest fellowship witht the Father, has made Godt known.s

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 Nowt this wast John’ss testimonyts when the Jewish leaderst sents priests and Levites from Jerusalems to ask him, “Who are you?”s20 He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!”ts21 So they asked him, “Then who are you?t Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!”s “Are you the Prophet?”s He answered, “No!”

22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell ust so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 Johnt said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straightsthe way for the Lord,’s as Isaiah the prophet said.”24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.s)s

25 So they asked John,t “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ,ts nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them,t “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize,t27 who is coming after me. I am not worthyts to untie the strapt of his sandal!”

28 These things happened in Bethanys across the Jordan Rivert where John was baptizing.
29 On the next day Johnt saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of Gods who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am,t because he existed before me.’

31 I did not recognizet him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”s
32 Thent John testified,t “I saw the Spirit descending like a doves from heaven,t and it remained on him.s33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining – this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

34 I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”s
35 Again the next day Johns was standing theret with two of his disciples.36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”s37 When John’st two disciples heard him say this,t they followed Jesus.s38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?”t So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher),s “where are you staying?”

39 Jesust answered,t “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.ts

Andrew’s Declaration

40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John saidt and followed Jesus.t41 He firsts found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!”s (which is translated Christ).ts

42 Andrew brought Simont to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John.s You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).s

The Calling of More Disciples

43 On the next day Jesust wanted to set out for Galilee.s Het found Philip and saidt to him, “Follow me.”44 (Now Philip was from Bethsaida,s the town oft Andrew and Peter.)45 Philip found Nathanaels and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets alsot wrote about – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 Nathanaelt replied,t “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”ss Philip replied,t “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed,t “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”ts48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied,t “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree,s I saw you.”49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the kingt of Israel!”s50 Jesus said to him,t “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”s

51 He continued,t “I tell all of you the solemn trutht – you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”s

JOHN 1

The Word of Life

1 In the beginning was the one
who is called the Word.
The Word was with God
and was truly God.

2 From the very beginning
the Word was with God.

3 And with this Word,
God created all things.
Nothing was made
without the Word.
Everything that was created

4 received its life from him,
and his life gave light
to everyone.

5 The light keeps shining
in the dark,
and darkness has never
put it out.t

6  t God sent a man named John,

7 who came to tell
about the light
and to lead all people
to have faith.

8 John wasn't this light.
He came only to tell
about the light.

9 The true light that shines
on everyone
was coming into the world.

10 The Word was in the world,
but no one knew him,
though God had made the world
with his Word.

11 He came into his own world,
but his own nation
did not welcome him.

12 Yet some people accepted him
and put their faith in him.
So he gave them the right
to be the children of God.

13 They were not God's children
by nature or because
of any human desires.
God himself was the one
who made them his children.

14 The Word became
a human being
and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory,
the glory of the only Son
of the Father.
From him the complete gifts
of undeserved grace and truth
have come down to us.

15 John spoke about him and shouted, “This is the one I told you would come! He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born.”
16 Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another.t 17 The Law was given by Moses, but Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth.

18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.

John the Baptist Tells //about Jesus

(Matthew 3.1-12; Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.15-17)

21 t Then when they asked him if he were Elijah, he said, “No, I am not!” And when they asked if he were the Prophet, t he also said “No!”

22 Finally, they said, “Who are you then? We have to give an answer to the ones who sent us. Tell us who you are!”

23  t John answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “I am only someone shouting in the desert, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord!’ ”
24 Some Pharisees had also been sent to John.

25 They asked him, “Why are you baptizing people, if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?”
26 John told them, “I use water to baptize people. But here with you is someone you don't know. 27 Even though I came first, I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”

28 John said this as he was baptizing east of the Jordan River in Bethany.t

The Lamb of God

29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said:
Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I told you about when I said, “Someone else will come, who is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born.”

31 I didn't know who he was. But I came to baptize you with water, so that everyone in Israel would see him.
32 I was there and saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him. 33 Before this I didn't know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, “You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

34 I saw this happen, and I tell you that he is the Son of God.

The First Disciples of Jesus

37 John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.

38 When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”
They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”

39 Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.
40 One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.

41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”

42 Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”t

Jesus Chooses Philip //and Nathanael

43-44 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me.”

45 Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophetst wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

46 Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip answered, “Come and see.”

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful.”t

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

49 Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. 51 t I tell you for certain you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”t