John 1
1
The Word of Life
1In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. 4The Word was the source of life,#1.4 The Word was the source of life; or What was made had life in union with the Word. and this life brought light to humanity. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
6 #
Mt 3.1; Mk 1.4; Lk 3.1–2 God sent his messenger, a man named John, 7who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. 9This was the real light — the light that comes into the world and shines on everyone.
10The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. 12Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. 13They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.
14The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
15John spoke about him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’ ”
16Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. 17God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
John the Baptist's Message
(Mt 3.1–12; Mk 1.1–8; Lk 3.1–18)
19The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John, to ask him, “Who are you?”
20John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: “I am not the Messiah.”
21 #
Deut 18.15, 18; Mal 4.5 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No, I am not,” John answered.
“Are you the Prophet?”#1.21 the Prophet: The one who was expected to appear and announce the coming of the Messiah. they asked.
“No,” he replied.
22“Then tell us who you are,” they said. “We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 #
Is 40.3 (LXX) John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah:
“I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert:
Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!’ ”
24The messengers, who had been sent by the Pharisees, 25then#1.24–25 The messengers, who had been sent by the Pharisees, 25 then; or Those who had been sent were Pharisees; they. asked John, “If you are not the Messiah nor Elijah nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26John answered, “I baptize with water, but among you stands the one you do not know. 27He is coming after me, but I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.”
28All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the River Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “There is 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 is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’ 31I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel.”
32And John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen it,” said John, “and I tell you that he is the Son of God.”
The First Disciples of Jesus
35The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said.
37The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. 38Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They answered, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” (This word means “Teacher”.)
39 “Come and see,” he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.
40One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41At once he found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (This word means “Christ”.) 42Then he took Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock”.)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” 44(Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” answered Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”
48Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49“Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” 51#Gen 28.12And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
John 1
1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5And the light appears in darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not. 6There was a man sent from God, his name John. 7He came for witness, that he might witness concerning the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but that he might witness concerning the light. 9The true light was that which, coming into the world, lightens every man. 10He was in the world, and the world had its being through him, and the world knew him not. 11He came to his own, and his own received him not; 12but as many as received him, to them gave he the right to be children of God, to those that believe on his name; 13who have been born, not of blood, nor of flesh's will, nor of man's will, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth;
15(John bears witness of him, and he has cried, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me;) 16for of his fulness we all have received, and grace upon grace. 17For the law was given by Moses: grace and truth subsists through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
19And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites that they might ask him, Thou, who art thou? 20And he acknowledged and denied not, and acknowledged, I am not the Christ. 21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he says, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No. 22They said therefore to him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the path of the Lord, as said Esaias the prophet. 24And they were sent from among the Pharisees. 25And they asked him and said to him, Why baptisest thou then, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? 26John answered them saying, I baptise with water. In the midst of you stands, whom ye do not know, 27he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptising.
29On the morrow he sees Jesus coming to him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 30He it is of whom I said, A man comes after me who takes a place before me, because he was before me; 31and I knew him not; but that he might be manifested to Israel, therefore have I come baptising with water. 32And John bore witness, saying, I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit. 34And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God. 35Again, on the morrow, there stood John and two of his disciples. 36And, looking at Jesus as he walked, he says, Behold the Lamb of God.
37And the two disciples heard him speaking, and followed Jesus. 38But Jesus having turned, and seeing them following, says to them, What seek ye? And they said to him, Rabbi (which, being interpreted, signifies Teacher), where abidest thou? 39He says to them, Come and see. They went therefore, and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard this from John and followed him. 41He first finds his own brother Simon, and says to him, We have found the Messias (which being interpreted is Christ). 42And he led him to Jesus. Jesus looking at him said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which interpreted is stone).
43On the morrow he would go forth into Galilee, and Jesus finds Philip, and says to him, Follow me. 44And Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip finds Nathanael, and says to him, We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, Jesus, the son of Joseph, who is from Nazareth. 46And Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip says to him, Come and see. 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and says of him, Behold one truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile. 48Nathanael says to him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee. 49Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. 50Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. 51And he says to him, Verily, verily, I say to you, Henceforth ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.