John 1
1
The Eternal Word
1In the beginning #Gen. 1:1; (Col. 1:17); 1 John 1:1was the Word, and the #(John 1:14); Rev. 19:13Word was #(John 17:5; 1 John 1:2)with God, and the Word was #(1 John 5:20)God. 2#Gen. 1:1He was in the beginning with God. 3#Ps. 33:6; (Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16, 17; Heb. 1:2)All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4#(1 John 5:11)In Him was life, and #John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46the life was the light of men. 5And #(John 3:19)the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John’s Witness: The True Light
6There was a #Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:1–17; Mark 1:1–11; Luke 3:1–22man sent from God, whose name was John. 7This man came for a #John 3:25–36; 5:33–35witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might #(John 3:16)believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that #Is. 9:2; 49:6Light. 9#Is. 49:6That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and #Acts 13:27; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2the world did not know Him. 11#Is. 53:3; (Luke 19:14)He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12But #(John 11:52); Gal. 3:26as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13#(John 3:5); James 1:18; (1 Pet. 1:23; 1 John 2:29; 3:9)who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Becomes Flesh
14#Matt. 1:16; Rev. 19:13And the Word #Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 1:1; 4:2; 2 John 7became #Heb. 2:11flesh and dwelt among us, and #Is. 40:5; 2 Pet. 1:16–18we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, #(John 8:32; 14:6; 18:37); Col. 1:19full of grace and truth.
15#Mal. 3:1; John 3:32John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, #(Matt. 3:11)‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, #(Col. 1:17)for He was before me.’ ”
16And of His #(Eph. 1:23; 3:19; 4:13; Col. 1:19; 2:9)fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17For #(Ex. 20:1)the law was given through Moses, but #John 1:14; (Rom. 5:21; 6:14)grace and #(John 8:32; 14:6; 18:37)truth came through Jesus Christ. 18#Ex. 33:20; Matt. 11:27; 1 Tim. 6:16No one has seen God at any time. #Ps. 2:7; John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
A Voice in the Wilderness
19Now this is #John 5:33the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20#Luke 3:15; John 3:28; Acts 13:25He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you #Deut. 18:15, 18; Matt. 21:11; John 6:14; 7:40the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
22Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23He said: #Matt. 3:3“I am
#Is. 40:3; Mal. 3:1‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26John answered them, saying, #Matt. 3:11; (Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5)“I baptize with water, #Mal. 3:1; John 4:10; 8:19; 9:30; Acts 13:27but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27#(John 3:31); Acts 19:4; (Col. 1:17)It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28These things were done #Judg. 7:24in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! #(Ex. 12:3); Acts 8:32; (1 Pet. 1:19); Rev. 5:6–14The Lamb of God #(Is. 53:11; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2; Rev. 1:5)who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, #Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:6therefore I came baptizing with water.”
32#Is. 42:1; 61:1; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, #Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I have seen and testified that this is the #Ps. 2:7; Luke 1:35; John 11:27Son of God.”
The First Disciples
35Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, #John 1:29“Behold the Lamb of God!”
37The two disciples heard him speak, and they #Matt. 4:20, 22followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”
They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was #Matt. 4:18; Mark 1:29; 13:3; John 6:8; 12:22Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. #Matt. 16:18You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
Philip and Nathanael
43The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found #Matt. 10:3; John 6:5; 12:21, 22; 14:8, 9Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now #John 12:21Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found #John 21:2Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom #(Gen. 3:15; Deut. 18:18); Luke 24:27Moses in the law, and also the #(Is. 4:2; 7:14; 9:6; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 6:12); Luke 24:27prophets, wrote—Jesus #(Matt. 2:23); Luke 2:4of Nazareth, the #Luke 3:23son of Joseph.”
46And Nathanael said to him, #John 7:41, 42, 52“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, #Ps. 32:2; 73:1an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, #Ps. 2:7; Matt. 14:33; Luke 1:35You are the Son of God! You are #Matt. 21:5the King of Israel!”
50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, #Gen. 28:12; (Luke 2:9, 13); Acts 1:10; 7:55, 56hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Currently Selected:
John 1: NKJV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
John 1
1
Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word
1In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2He existed in the beginning with God.
3God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4The Word gave life to everything that was created,#1:3-4 Or and nothing that was created was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything.
and his life brought light to everyone.
5The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.#1:5 Or and the darkness has not understood it.
6God sent a man, John the Baptist,#1:6 Greek a man named John. 7to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
14So the Word became human#1:14a Greek became flesh. and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.#1:14b Or grace and truth; also in 1:17. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
15John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
16From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.#1:16 Or received the grace of Christ rather than the grace of the law; Greek reads received grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,#1:18 Some manuscripts read But the one and only Son. is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants#1:19 Greek and Levites. from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”#1:21 Greek Are you the Prophet? See Deut 18:15, 18; Mal 4:5-6.
“No.”
22“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”#1:23 Isa 40:3.
24Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26John told them, “I baptize with#1:26 Or in; also in 1:31, 33. water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
28This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
Jesus, the Lamb of God
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 31I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.#1:34 Some manuscripts read the Son of God.”
The First Disciples
35The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.
38Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.
They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.
40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”#1:41 Messiah (a Hebrew term) and Christ (a Greek term) both mean “anointed one.”).
42Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”#1:42 The names Cephas (from Aramaic) and Peter (from Greek) both mean “rock.”).
43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.
45Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses#1:45 Greek Moses in the law. and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
47As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”
48“How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”
49Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
50Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.#1:51 Greek going up and down on the Son of Man; see Gen 28:10-17. “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
For more information about the NLT: