The Word and Creation
1 In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.[a] 5 And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.[b]
John’s Witness to the Word
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. 8 John[c] was not the light, but he came[d] to testify about the light. 9 This[e] was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.[f] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him.
Responses to the Word
11 He came to his own creation,[g] yet his own people did not receive him. 12 However, to all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God’s children, 13 who were born, not merely in a genetic sense,[h] nor from lust,[i] nor from man’s desire, but from the will of[j] God.
The Word Becomes Human
14 The Word became flesh and lived[k] among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s uniquely existing Son,[l] who is full of grace and truth. 15 John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’” 16 We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance,[m] 17 because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.[n] 18 No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God,[o] who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.
The Testimony of John the Baptist(A)
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[p] sent priests and descendants of Levi to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He spoke openly and, remaining true to himself,[q] admitted, “I am not the Messiah.”[r]
21 So they asked him, “Well then, are you Elijah?”
John[s] said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 “Who are you?” they asked him. “We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He replied, “I am
‘…a voice crying out in the wilderness,
“Prepare the Lord’s[t] highway,”’[u]
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those men[v] had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah,[w] or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I am baptizing with[x] water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This happened in Bethany[y] on the other side[z] of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day, John[aa] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks above me, because he existed before me.’ 31 I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with[ab] water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 John also testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with[ac] water told me, ‘The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with[ad] the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son[ae] of God.”
The First Disciples
35 The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36 As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38 But when Jesus turned around and saw them following, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They asked him, “Rabbi,” (which is translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 He told them, “Come and see!” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.[af]
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.[ag] 41 The first thing Andrew[ah] did was to find his brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Anointed One!”[ai] (which is translated “Messiah”).[aj]
42 He led Simon[ak] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, “You are Simon, John’s son.[al] You will be called Cephas!”[am] (which is translated “Peter”).[an]
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathaniel
43 The next day, Jesus decided to go away to Galilee, where he found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the man about whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote—Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 Nathaniel asked him, “From Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?”
Philip told him, “Come and see!”
47 Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said about him, “Look, a genuine Israeli, in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathaniel asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathaniel replied to him, “Rabbi,[ao] you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus told him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” 51 Then he told him, “Truly, I tell all of you[ap] emphatically, you will see heaven standing open and the angels of God going up and coming down to the Son of Man.”
Footnotes
- John 1:4 Lit. was the light of people
- John 1:5 Or understood it
- John 1:8 Lit. He
- John 1:8 The Gk. lacks he came
- John 1:9 Lit. He
- John 1:9 Or every person who is coming into the world
- John 1:11 Or possessions
- John 1:13 Lit. not of bloods
- John 1:13 Lit. from desire of the flesh
- John 1:13 The Gk. lacks the will of
- John 1:14 Lit. pitched his tent
- John 1:14 The Gk. lacks Son
- John 1:16 Lit. received grace for grace
- John 1:17 Or Christ
- John 1:18 Other mss. read Son
- John 1:19 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews
- John 1:20 Lit. and did not deny
- John 1:20 Or Christ
- John 1:21 Lit. He
- John 1:23 MT source citation reads Lord’s
- John 1:23 Cf. Isa 40:3
- John 1:24 Lit. Now they
- John 1:25 Or Christ
- John 1:26 Or in
- John 1:28 Other mss. read Bethabara
- John 1:28 I.e. the east side
- John 1:29 Lit. he
- John 1:31 Or in
- John 1:33 Or in
- John 1:33 Or in
- John 1:34 Other mss. read Chosen One
- John 1:39 Lit. the tenth hour
- John 1:40 Lit. him
- John 1:41 Lit. He
- John 1:41 The Gk. word messias is a transliteration of the Heb. word for Messiah
- John 1:41 Or Christ
- John 1:42 Lit. him
- John 1:42 Cf. Matthew 16:17
- John 1:42 Cephas means rock in Aram.
- John 1:42 Peter means rock in Gk.
- John 1:49 Rabbi is Heb. for Master and/or Teacher
- John 1:51 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.