John 1
1
1In the beginning the Word already was.#1:1. In other words, the Word existed from eternity past. The concept of the Word means more than letters making up a word: it is the divine mind, the expression of God, the active aspect of divinity that speaks into existence as in Genesis 1:1. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2From the very beginning he was with God. 3Everything came into being through him; nothing came into being without him. 4In him was life, the life that was the light of everyone. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not extinguished it.#1:5. The word in the original can also mean “overpowered” or “understood.”
6God sent a man named John. 7He came as a witness to explain about the light so that everyone might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to witness to the light.
9The true light was coming into the world to give light to everyone. 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world didn't know who he was.#1:10. Or “didn't recognize him.” 11He came to his own people, but they didn't accept him.#1:11. Or “He came to his own home but his own people did not welcome him.” 12But to all those who accepted him and trusted in him, he gave the right to become God's children. 13These are the children born not in the usual way, not as the result of human desire or a father's decision, but born of God. 14The Word became human and lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only#1:14. Literally, “only begotten.” This refers to position and uniqueness rather than birth. Son, full of grace and truth.
15John gave his testimony about him, shouting out to the people, “This is the one I was telling you about when I said, ‘The one who is coming after me is more important than me, for before I ever existed he already was.’” 16We have all been recipients of his generous nature, one gracious gift after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18While no one has ever seen God, God the one and only, who is close beside the Father, has shown us what God is like.#1:18. Or “has made him known.”
19This is what John publicly stated when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20John declared plainly and clearly without hesitation, “I am not the Messiah.”
21“So then, who are you?” they asked. “Elijah?”
“No, I'm not,” he answered.
“Are you the Prophet?”#1:21. In Jewish thought a special prophet was expected before the End.
“No,” he replied.
22“Well, who are you, then?” they asked. “We have to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23“I am a voice calling in the desert, ‘Make the Lord's way straight!’” he said, using the words of the prophet Isaiah.#1:23. Quoting Isaiah 40:3.
24The priests and Levites#1:24. “Priests and Levites”: implied from verse 19. sent by the Pharisees 25asked him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you're not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26John replied, “I baptize with water, but standing among you is someone you don't know. 27He is coming after me, but I am not even worthy to untie his sandals.” 28This all happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day John saw Jesus approaching him, and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man who is coming after me is more important than me, for before I ever existed he already was.’ 31I didn't know myself who he was, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”
32John gave his evidence about him, saying, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and rest upon him. 33I wouldn't have known him except he who sent me to baptize with water had told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descend to and rest upon, he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I saw it happen and I declare that this is the Son of God.”
35The next day John was standing there with two of his disciples. 36He saw Jesus passing by, and said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God!” 37When the two disciples heard what he said they went and followed Jesus.
38Jesus turned round and saw them following him. “What are you looking for?” he asked them.
“Rabbi (which means ‘Teacher’), where are you staying?” they asked in reply.
39“Come and see,” he told them. So they went with him and saw where he was staying. It was about four p.m., and they spent the rest of the day with him.
40Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of these two disciples who had heard what John said and followed Jesus. 41He went at once to find his brother Simon and told him, “We've found the Messiah!” (which means “Christ”).#1:41. Both Messiah and Christ mean “the Anointed One.” 42He took him to Jesus. Looking directly at Simon, Jesus said, “You are Simon, son of John. But now you will be called Cephas,” (which means “Peter”).#1:42. Cephas and Peter both mean “rock” or “stone.”
43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. Jesus found Philip there, and told him, “Follow me.” 44Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town that Andrew and Peter came from.
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We've found the one that Moses wrote about in the law and that the prophets did too—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46“From Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael wondered.
“Just come and see,” Philip replied.
47As Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said about him, “Look, here's a true Israelite! There's nothing false about him.”
48“How do you know who I am?” Nathanael asked.
“I saw you there under the fig tree, before Philip called you,” Jesus replied.
49“Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the king of Israel!” Nathaniel exclaimed.
50“You believe this just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree?” Jesus replied. “You'll get to see much more than that!” 51Then Jesus 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.”#1:51. Referring to Jacob's experience in Genesis 28:12, with the term “Son of man” replacing the word “ladder.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Yoḥanan (John) 1
1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim.
2He was in the beginning with Elohim.
3All came to be through Him,#See Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; Heb. 11:3; 2Pet. 3:5; Psa. 33:6 and without Him not even one came to be that came to be.
4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There was a man sent from Elohim, whose name was Yoḥanan.
7This one came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through him.
8He was not that Light, but that he might bear witness of that Light.
9He was the true Light, which enlightens every man, coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of Elohim, to those believing in His Name,
13who were born, not of blood nor of the desire of flesh nor of the desire of man, but of Elohim.
14And the Word became flesh and pitched His tent among us, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favour and truth.
15Yoḥanan bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has become before me, because He was before me.’ ”
16And out of His completeness we all did receive, and favour upon favour,
17for the Torah was given through Mosheh – the favour and the truth came through יהושע Messiah.
18No one has ever seen Elohim. All came to be through Him,#See John 5:37; John 6:46; 1John 4:12 The only brought-forth Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He did declare.
19Now this was the witness of Yoḥanan when the Yehuḏim sent from Yerushalayim priests and Lĕwites to ask him, “Who are you?”
20And he confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
21And they asked him, “What then, are you Ěliyahu?” So he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22Therefore they said to him, “Who are you, so that we give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of יהוה,’# Isa. 40:3 as the prophet Yeshayahu said.”
24And those sent were of the Pharisees,
25and they asked him, saying, “Why then do you immerse if you are not the Messiah, nor Ěliyahu, nor the Prophet?”
26Yoḥanan answered them, saying, “I immerse in water, but in your midst stands One whom you do not know,
27the One coming after me, who has become before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen.”
28This took place in Bĕyth Anyah beyond the Yardĕn, where Yoḥanan was immersing.
29On the next day Yoḥanan saw יהושע coming toward him, and said, “See, the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin of the world!#See Mat. 1:21; Titus 2:14; 1John 3:5; 1John 3:8
30This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has become before me, for He was before me.’#See John 1:15
31And I did not know Him, but that He might be revealed to Yisra’ĕl, therefore I came immersing in water.
32And Yoḥanan bore witness, saying, “I have seen the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and remain on Him.
33“And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to immerse in water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit coming down and remaining on Him, this is He who immerses in the Set-apart Spirit.’
34“And I have seen and have witnessed that this is the Son of Elohim.”
35Again the following day, Yoḥanan was standing with two of his taught ones,
36and looking at יהושע walking, he said, “See the Lamb of Elohim!”
37And the two taught ones heard him speaking, and they followed יהושע.
38And יהושע turning, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
39He said to them, “Come and see.” They went and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day. Now it was about the tenth hour.
40Andri, the brother of Shim‛on Kĕpha, was one of the two who heard from Yoḥanan, and followed Him.
41First he found his own brother Shim‛on, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Anointed).
42And he brought him to יהושע. And looking at him, יהושע said, “You are Shim‛on the son of Yonah, you shall be called Kĕpha” (which means a Stone).
43On the following day יהושע wished to go to Galil, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44And Philip was from Bĕyth Tsaiḏa, the city of Andri and Kĕpha.
45Philip found Nethan’ĕl and said to him, “We have found Him whom Mosheh wrote of in the Torah, and the prophets: יהושע of Natsareth – the son of Yosĕph.”
46And Nethan’ĕl said to him, “Is it possible for any good matter to come out of Natsareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47יהושע saw Nethan’ĕl coming toward Him, and said of him, “See, truly a Yisra’ĕli, in whom is no deceit!”
48Nethan’ĕl said to Him, “From where do You know me?” יהושע answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49Nethan’ĕl answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of Elohim! You are the Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl!”
50יהושע answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? Greater than that you shall see.”
51And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you shall see the heaven opened, and the messengers of Elohim ascending and descending upon the Son of Aḏam.”#See Gen. 28:12
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