John 1
1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John the Baptist's Testimony
15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
19And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold the Lamb of God
29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
His First Disciples
35Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
43The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
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John 1: KJV
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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Learn More About King James VersionJohn 1
1
Prologue
1In the beginning # Gn 1:1; Col 1:18 was the Word, # The Word (Gk Logos) is a title for Jesus as the communication and the revealer of God the Father; Jn 1:14,18; Rv 19:13. # Jn 1:14; 1Jn 1:1; Rv 19:13
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. # Jn 20:28; Php 2:6
2He was with God in the beginning. # Jn 8:38; 17:5; Ac 26:4
3All things were created # Col 1:16; Heb 1:2 through Him, # Rm 11:36
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
4Life was in Him, # Other punctuation is possible: . . . not one thing was created. What was created in Him was life # 1Jn 2:5
and that life was the light # Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 of men.
5That light shines # 1Jn 2:8 in the darkness,
yet the darkness did not overcome # Or grasp, or comprehend, or overtake ; Jn 12:35 it. # Php 3:12
6There was a man named John # Mk 1:4
who was sent from God.
7He came as a witness
to testify about the light,
so that all might believe through him. # Or through it (the light)
8He was not the light,
but he came to testify # Jn 15:26 about the light.
9The true light, # Jn 12:46 who gives light to everyone,
was coming into the world. # Or The true light who comes into the world gives light to everyone, or The true light enlightens everyone coming into the world. # Jn 18:37; 1Jn 2:8
10He was in the world,
and the world was created # Jn 1:3 through Him,
yet the world did not recognize Him.
11He came to His own, # The same Gk adjective is used twice in this verse: the first refers to all that Jesus owned as Creator (to His own); the second refers to the Jews (His own people).
and His own people # The same Gk adjective is used twice in this verse: the first refers to all that Jesus owned as Creator (to His own); the second refers to the Jews (His own people). did not receive Him.
12But to all who did receive # 2Jn 10 Him, # Jn 5:43
He gave them the right # Mk 1:22; Ac 9:14 to be # Or become children # Lk 1:7 of God, # Mt 5:9; Jn 11:52; Rm 8:16; 1Jn 3:1
to those who believe # Jn 3:16 in His name, # Jn 10:25; 1Jn 3:23
13who were born, # 1Pt 1:3
not of blood, # Lit bloods ; the pl form of blood occurs only here in the NT. It may refer either to lineal descent (that is, blood from one’s father and mother) or to the OT sacrificial system (that is, the various blood sacrifices). Neither is the basis for birth into the family of God.
or of the will # 1Co 7:37; 16:12; Eph 2:3; 2Tm 2:26; 2Pt 1:21 of the flesh, # Php 3:3
or of the will of man, # Or not of human lineage, or of human capacity, or of human volition
but of God. # 1Pt 1:3; 1Jn 2:29
14The Word # Jn 1:1 became flesh # The eternally existent Word (vv. 1-2) took on full humanity but without sin; Heb 4:15. # Php 2:7; 1Jn 4:2; 5:20
and took up residence # Or and dwelt in a tent ; lit and tabernacled ; this word occurs only here in John. A related word, referring to the Festival of Tabernacles, occurs only in 7:2; Ex 40:34-38. among us.
We observed His glory, # Mk 10:37; Jn 17:24
the glory as the One and Only # Heb 11:17; 1Jn 4:9 Son # Son is implied from the reference to the Father and from Gk usage. from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
15(John testified concerning Him and exclaimed,
“This was the One of whom I said,
‘The One coming after me # Mt 3:11; Mk 1:7; Jn 1:27,30 has surpassed me, # Col 1:19
because He existed before me.’ ”) # Jn 3:13; 8:58; 10:30; 14:7-9,23; Php 2:6
16Indeed, we have all received grace # Ac 15:11; 2Pt 3:18 after grace
from His fullness,
17for the law was given through Moses, # Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2
grace and truth # Ps 119:142; Jn 14:6; 2Th 2:10 came through Jesus Christ.
18No one has ever seen God. # Since God is an infinite being, no one can see Him in His absolute essential nature; Ex 33:18-23.
The One and Only # 1Jn 4:9 Son # Other mss read God —
the One who is at the Father’s # Mt 5:16; 11:27; Jn 8:42 side # Lit is in the bosom of the Father —
He has revealed Him. # Mt 11:27; Lk 10:22; 1Jn 2:24
John the Baptist’s Testimony
19This is John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem # Mt 23:37 sent priests # Ac 4:1 and Levites # Ex 6:19; Lk 10:32 to ask him, “Who are you? ”
20He did not refuse to answer, but he declared: “I am not the Messiah.” # Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2
21“What then? ” they asked him. “Are you Elijah? ” # Mal 4:5; Mt 11:14; 17:10-13; Mk 8:28; Lk 1:17
“I am not,” he said.
“Are you the Prophet? ” # Probably the Prophet in Dt 18:15 # Dt 18:15; Mt 2:23
“No,” he answered.
22“Who are you, then? ” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself? ”
23He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord # Is 40:3 # Is 40:3 — just as Isaiah # Mt 3:3; 4:14; 12:17 the prophet said.”
24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. # Mk 7:3 25So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet? ”
26“I baptize with # Or in water,” # Mk 1:8 John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know Him. 27He is the One coming after me, # Other mss add who came before me # Jn 1:15 whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.”
28All this happened in Bethany # Other mss read in Bethabara across the Jordan, # Another Bethany, near Jerusalem, was the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary; Jn 11:1. # Mk 10:1; Lk 3:3 where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, # Is 53:7; Ac 8:32; 1Pt 1:19; Rv 5:6 who takes away the sin # Jn 15:22; 1Jn 3:5 of the world! 30This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ 31I didn’t know Him, # Jn 7:28 but I came baptizing with # Or in water so He might be revealed # 2Co 4:11; 1Jn 1:2 to Israel.”
32And John testified, “I watched the Spirit # Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5; 1Jn 5:8; Rv 3:22 descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him. # Jms 4:5 33I didn’t know Him, but He # He refers to God the Father, who gave John a sign to help him identify the Messiah. Vv. 32-34 indicate that John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until the Spirit descended upon Him at His baptism. who sent me to baptize with # Or in water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on — He is the One who baptizes with # Or in the Holy Spirit.’ # Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Ac 11:16 34I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God! ” # Other mss read is the Chosen One of God # Mt 3:17; 4:3; Jn 1:49; 5:19; Heb 1:2
35Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God! ”
37The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, “What are you looking for? ”
They said to Him, “Rabbi” # Jn 11:8 (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying? ”
39“Come and you’ll see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about 10 in the morning. # Lit about the tenth hour. Various methods of reckoning time were used in the ancient world. John probably used a different method from the other 3 Gospels. If John used the same method of time reckoning as the other 3 Gospels, the translation would be: It was about four in the afternoon.
40Andrew, # Mt 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; Lk 5:2-11 Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him. 41He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah! ” # In the NT, the word Messiah translates the Gk word Christos (“Anointed One”), except here and in Jn 4:25 where it translates Messias. # Mt 1:17 (which means “Anointed # Ex 29:29 One”), 42and he brought Simon to Jesus.
When Jesus saw him, He said, “You are Simon, son of John. # Other mss read Simon, son of Jonah You will be called Cephas” # 1Co 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gl 1:18; 2:9,11,14 (which means “Rock”).
Philip and Nathanael
43The next day He # Or he, referring either to Simon Peter (vv. 41-42) or Andrew (vv. 40-41) decided to leave for Galilee. Jesus found Philip # Mk 3:18 and told him, “Follow Me! ”
44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, # Jn 12:21 the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael # Probably the Bartholomew of the other Gospels and Acts # Jn 1:46-49; 21:2 and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law (and so did the prophets # Mt 2:23; Ac 7:52; Rm 3:21): Jesus the son of Joseph, # Mt 1:16; Lk 1:27; 2:4,16,33; 3:23; Jn 6:42 from Nazareth! ” # Mk 1:9
46“Can anything good # Gn 1:31 come out of Nazareth? ” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered.
47Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said about him, “Here is a true Israelite; # 2Co 11:22 no deceit is in him.”
48“How do you know me? ” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
49“Rabbi,” # Jn 11:8 Nathanael replied, “You are the Son # Jn 5:19 of God! You are the King of Israel! ” # Mt 27:42; Mk 15:32; Jn 12:13
50Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe only because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You # In Gk, the word you is sg and refers to Nathanael. will see greater things than this.” 51Then He said, “I assure you: You # In Gk, the word you is pl and refers to Nathanael and the other disciples. will see heaven opened and the angels of God # Lk 12:8-9; 15:10; Ac 10:3 ascending and descending # Gn 28:12 on the Son of Man.” # Mk 2:10
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