John 1
1 From the first he was the Word, and the Word was in relation with God and was God.
In the beginning the Word already was. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 This Word was from the first in relation with God.
In the beginning he was with God.
3 All things came into existence through him, and without him nothing was.
Everything came into being through him; nothing came into being without him.
4 What came into existence in him was life, and the life was the light of men.
In him was life, the life that was the light of everyone.
5 And the light goes on shining in the dark; it is not overcome by the dark.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not extinguished it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
God sent a man named John.
7 He came for witness, to give witness about the light, so that all men might have faith through him.
He came as a witness to explain about the light so that everyone might believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light: he was sent to give witness about the light.
He himself was not the light, but he came to witness to the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to every man, was then coming into the world.
The true light was coming into the world to give light to everyone.
10 He was in the world, the world which came into being through him, but the world had no knowledge of him.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world didn't know who he was.
11 He came to the things which were his and his people did not take him to their hearts.
He came to his own people, but they didn't accept him.
12 To all those who did so take him, however, he gave the right of becoming children of God — that is, to those who had faith in his name:
But to all those who accepted him and trusted in him, he gave the right to become God's children.
13 Whose birth was from God and not from blood, or from an impulse of the flesh and man's desire.
These 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.
14 And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time; and we saw his glory — such glory as is given to an only son by his father — saw it to be true and full of grace.
The Word became human and lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son, full of grace and truth.
15 John gave witness about him, crying, This is he of whom I said, He who is coming after me is put over me because he was in existence before me.
John 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.’”
16 From his full measure we have all been given grace on grace.
We have all been recipients of his generous nature, one gracious gift after another.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and the true way of life are ours through Jesus Christ.
The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No man has seen God at any time; the only Son, who is on the breast of the Father, he has made clear what God is.
While no one has ever seen God, God the one and only, who is close to the Father, has shown us what God is like.
19 And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to him with the question, Who are you?
This is what John publicly stated when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He said quite openly and straightforwardly, I am not the Christ.
John declared plainly and clearly without hesitation, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 And they said to him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? And his answer was, I am not.
“So then, who are you?” they asked. “Elijah?” “No, I'm not,” he answered. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he replied.
22 So they said to him, Who are you then? We have to give some answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?
“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 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the waste land, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.
“I am a voice calling in the desert, ‘Make the Lord's way straight!’” he said, using the words of the prophet Isaiah.
24 Those who had been sent came from the Pharisees.
The priests and Levites sent by the Pharisees
25 And they put this question to him, saying, Why then are you giving baptism if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet?
asked him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you're not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26 John's answer was: I give baptism with water; but there is one among you of whom you have no knowledge;
John replied, “I baptize with water, but standing among you is someone you don't know.
27 It is he who is coming after me; I am not good enough to undo his shoes.
He is coming after me, but I am not even worthy to untie his sandals.”
28 These things took place at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was giving baptism.
This all happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The next day John saw Jesus approaching him, and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, One is coming after me who is put over me because he was in existence before me.
This 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.’
31 I myself had no knowledge of him, but I came giving baptism with water so that he might be seen openly by Israel.
I didn't know myself who he was, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him.
John gave his evidence about him, saying, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and rest upon him.
33 I had no knowledge who he was, but he who sent me to give baptism with water said to me, The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting, it is he who gives baptism with the Holy Spirit.
I 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.’
34 This I saw myself and my witness is that he is the Son of God.
I saw it happen and I declare that this is the Son of God.”
35 The day after, John was there again with two of his disciples;
The next day John was standing there with two of his disciples.
36 And looking at Jesus while he was walking he said, See, there is the Lamb of God!
He saw Jesus passing by, and said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God!”
37 Hearing what he said, the two disciples went after Jesus.
When the two disciples heard what he said they went and followed Jesus.
38 And Jesus, turning round, saw them coming after him and said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi (which is to say, Master), where are you living?
Jesus 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 He said to them, Come and see. They went with him then and saw where he was living; and they were with him all that day: it was then about the tenth hour of the day.
“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.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two men who, hearing what John said, went after Jesus.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of these two disciples who had heard what John said and followed Jesus.
41 Early in the morning he came across his brother and said to him, We have made discovery! It is the Messiah! (which is to say, the Christ).
He went at once to find his brother Simon and told him, “We've found the Messiah!” (which means “Christ”).
42 And he took him to Jesus. Looking at him fixedly Jesus said, You are Simon, the son of John; your name will be Cephas (which is to say, Peter).
He 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”).
43 The day after this, Jesus had a desire to go into Galilee. He came across Philip and said to him, Come and be my disciple.
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. Jesus found Philip there, and told him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip's town was Beth-saida, where Andrew and Peter came from.
Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town that Andrew and Peter came from.
45 Philip came across Nathanael and said to him, We have made a discovery! It is he of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets were writing, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Philip 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 Nazareth! said Nathanael, Is it possible for any good to come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.
“From Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael wondered. “Just come and see,” Philip replied.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, See, here is a true son of Israel in whom there is nothing false.
As Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said about him, “Look, here's a true Israelite! There's nothing false about him.”
48 Nathanael said to him, Where did you get knowledge of me? In answer Jesus said, Before Philip was talking with you, while you were still under the fig-tree, I saw you.
“How do you know who I am?” Nathanael asked. “I saw you there under the fig tree, before Philip called you,” Jesus replied.
49 Nathanael said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the king of Israel!” Nathaniel exclaimed.
50 In answer Jesus said to him, You have faith because I said to you, I saw you under the fig-tree. You will see greater things than these.
“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!”
51 And he said to him, Truly I say to you all, You will see heaven opening and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of man.
Then 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.”
