John 1
1
The Prologue to John’s Gospel
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2This one was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that#Or “came into being. What …,” beginning a new sentence connected with the following verse. A major punctuation problem is involved, since the earliest manuscripts have no punctuation, but some important later ones place the punctuation before this phrase, effectively connecting it to v. 4: “What has come into being was life in him” has come into being. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity.#Or “humankind” 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome#Or “comprehend” (if primarily referring to people in the world) it.
6A man came, sent from God, whose name was#Literally “the name to him” John. 7This one came for a witness, in order that he could testify about the light, so that all would believe through him. 8That one was not the light, but came#The verb is implied from the previous verse, and must be supplied in the English translation in order that he could testify about the light. 9The true light, who gives light to every person, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not recognize#Or “acknowledge” him. 11He came to his own things, and his own people did not receive him. 12But as many as received him—to those who believe in his name—he gave to them authority to become children of God, 13who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a husband, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about him and cried out, saying, “This one was he about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ” 16For from his fullness we have all received, and grace after grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the one and only, God, the one who is in the bosom of the Father—that one has made him#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation known.
John the Baptist Testifies to Jesus
19And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent#Some manuscripts have “sent to him” priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they could ask him, “Who are you?” 20And he confessed—and he did not deny, and confessed—“I am not the Christ!” 21And they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?”#A reference to the “Prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15 (see Acts 3:22) And he answered, “No!” 22Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23He said,
“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’#A quotation from Isa 40:3
just as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24(And they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25And they asked him and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water. In your midst stands one whom you do not know—27the one who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie#Literally “that I might untie” the strap of his sandal!” 28These things took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This one is the one about whom I said, ‘After me is coming a man who is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ 31And I did not know him, but in order that he could be revealed to Israel, because of this I came baptizing with water.”
32And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him. 33And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, ‘The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him—this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One#Some manuscripts have “the Son of God” of God.
Two of John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
35On the next day again John was standing there,#*The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied and two of his disciples, 36and looking at Jesus as he#*Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“walking by”) which is understood as temporal was walking by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus. 38And Jesus, turning around and seeing them following him,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“translated”) which is understood as temporal translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39He said to them, “Come and you will see!” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day (it was about the tenth hour).
Andrew Declares Jesus to be the Messiah
40Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. 41This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “Christ”). 42He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is interpreted “Peter”).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43On the next day he wanted to depart for Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” 44(Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.) 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets wrote about—Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth!” 46And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see!”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Look! A true Israelite#Literally “truly an Israelite” in whom is no deceit!” 48Nathanael said to him, “From where do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were”) which is understood as temporal were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” 50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” 51And he said to him, “Truly, truly I say to all of you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
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John 1
1
The Word Becomes Human
1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was already with God in the beginning.
3Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
4He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
5The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.
6God sent a man named John to be his messenger. 7John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message. 8John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
9The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn’t recognize him. 11He went to his own people, and his own people didn’t accept him. 12However, he gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him. 13These people didn’t become God’s children in a physical way—from a human impulse or from a husband’s desire ⌞to have a child⌟. They were born from God.
14The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness #1:14 Or “grace.” and truth.
15(John declared the truth about him when he said loudly, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’ ”)
16Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is. 17Laws were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
John Prepares the Way
(Matthew 3:1–12; Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–18)
19This was John’s answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20John didn’t refuse to answer. He told them clearly, “I’m not the Messiah.”
21They asked him, “Well, are you Elijah?”
John answered, “No, I’m not.”
Then they asked, “Are you the prophet?”
John replied, “No.”
22So they asked him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23John said, “I’m a voice crying out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24Some of those who had been sent were Pharisees. 25They asked John, “Why do you baptize if you’re not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?”
26John answered them, “I baptize with water. Someone you don’t know is standing among you. 27He’s the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap.”
28This happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
John Identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God
29John saw Jesus coming toward him the next day and said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 30He is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘A man who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’ 31I didn’t know who he was. However, I came to baptize with water to show him to the people of Israel.”
32John said, “I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33I didn’t know who he was. But God, who sent me to baptize with water, had told me, ‘When you see the Spirit come down and stay on someone, you’ll know that person is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen this and have declared that this is the Son of God.”
Calling of the First Disciples
35The next day John was standing with two of his disciples. 36John saw Jesus walk by. John said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God.” 37When the two disciples heard John say this, they followed Jesus.
38Jesus turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39Jesus told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went to see where he was staying and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about ten o’clock in the morning.
40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John and followed Jesus. 41Andrew at once found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42Andrew brought Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at Simon and said, “You are Simon, son of John. Your name will be Cephas” (which means “Peter”).
43The next day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me!” 44(Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man whom Moses wrote about in his teachings and whom the prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, son of Joseph, from the city of Nazareth.”
46Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip told him, “Come and see!”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and remarked, “Here is a true Israelite who is sincere.”
48Nathanael asked Jesus, “How do you know anything about me?”
Jesus answered him, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49Nathanael said to Jesus, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”
50Jesus replied, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51Jesus said to Nathanael, “I can guarantee this truth: You will see the sky open and God’s angels going up and coming down to the Son of Man.”
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