Johan 1
1 A tongcuek ah Ol om tih ol tah Pathen neh om. Te dongah ol tah Pathen ni.
The one who expresses [MET] ([God’s character/what God is like]) has always existed (from the beginning [MTY] [of everything/before everything began]). He has always existed with God, and he has God’s nature.
2 Anih tah a tongcuek ah Pathen neh om.
He always existed with God [before] he began [MTY] [to create anything].
3 A cungkuem he anih rhangneh om tih anih pawt atah khat khaw om thai pawh.
He is the one by whom [God] caused everything to exist. He is the one who created absolutely everything [LIT].
4 Anih tah hing tih a khuiah hingnah om. Tekah hingnah te khaw hlang kah vangnah la om.
He is the one who [caused everything to] live. He, who caused us people to live, [revealed to us the truth about God as] a light [MET] [reveals what is in the darkness].
5 Te phoeiah vangnah tah a hmuep khuiah sae tih a hmuep loh anih buem pawh.
People do not want him to reveal [that what they do is evil] [MET], just [like] darkness [is evil]. But [just like] darkness cannot put out light [MET], [evil people have never prevented the one who was like a light from revealing God’s truth] (OR, [evil people have never] understood the [one who was like] a light.)
6 Te vaengah Pathen kah hlang tueih, a ming ah Johan te phoe.
A man whose name was John was sent by God {God sent a man whose name was John}.
7 Anih tah vangnah kawng te laipai ham, anih rhangneh hlang boeih loh a tangnah ham laipai la ha pawk.
He came to tell people [about the one who was like] [MET] a light. He came to show that everything that the [one who was like a light] [MET] said was true, in order that he could enable all people to believe [in the one who was like a light].
8 Anih te vangnah la om pawt dae vangnah kawng aka phong ham ni.
John himself was not the [one who was like a] light [MET]. Instead, he came to tell others about that [one who was like a] light.
9 Vangnah taktak tah om. Te tah hlang boeih aka tue ham Diklai la ha pawk.
[While John was doing that], the one who was truly [like] a light was about to show himself to the world. He was the one who enables all people [to know about God, as] a light [MET] enables [people to know what is in the darkness].
10 Diklai ah amah om tih anih rhangneh Diklai he om dae Diklai loh amah te ming pawh.
Although the one [who was like a light] was [here] on the earth, and although he was the one whom [God] caused to create everything, [most] people [MTY, HYP] did not realize who he [was]. (OR, although he was the one whom [God] caused to create everything, [most] people did not accept him.)
11 Amah rhoek taengah a pawk pah dae, amah rhoek loh anih te doe uh pawh.
Although he came to the land that belonged to him [because he created it, most of] his own people, [the Jews], rejected him (OR, did not accept him).
12 Tedae anih aka doe boeih neh, anih ming te aka tangnah rhoek tah Pathen ca la om ham saithainah a paek coeng.
But those [of us who welcomed him, God] authorized [that we would have a relationship with] him [MET] [like] children [have a relationship with their father]. We were people who believed [that what he said] about himself [MTY] [was true].
13 Amih tah thii kah, pumsa huengaihnah nen moenih, hlang kah huengaihnah nen moenih, tedae Pathen kah a cun rhoek ni.
We became [like God’s children], not because our ancestors [belonged to God], or because of someone’s sexual desires, nor because some man desired to have children like himself. Instead, we were caused by God {God caused us} to become [like] his children.
14 Te phoeiah Ol tah pumsa la coeng tih mamih khuiah om. Te dongah a thangpomnah te m'hmuh uh. Te tah oltak neh lungvatnah aka bae Pa taeng lamkah khueh duen thangpomnah ni.
The one who expresses [MET] ([God’s character/what God is like]) became a human being, and he lived among us [for a while]. As a result, we saw how wonderful he is. He came from [God] his father, and there was no other person as wonderful as he. He was wonderful because he always acted (kindly toward us/in ways we did not deserve), and he always [spoke] truthfully to us [about God].
15 Johan loh anih kawng te a phong vaengah pang tih, “Kai hnukah aka pawk tah kai hmaiah om tih kai lakah lamhma la om'” ka ti te anih coeng ni,” a ti.
[One day] when John was telling people about him, [he saw Jesus]. Then he shouted to them, “I told you [previously] that someone will come later who is more important than I am, since he existed [long] before me. This [is the man I was talking about]!”
16 A soepnah lamloh lungvatnah sokah lungvatnah khaw mamih loh boeih n'dang uh coeng.
We have all benefited very much from what he has done. Again and again, he has acted in kind way toward us in ways we did not deserve.
17 Moses lamloh olkhueng m'paek tih, lungvatnah neh oltak tah Khrih Jesuh lamloh ha thoeng.
Moses proclaimed [God’s] laws [to our ancestors]. But what Jesus Christ did for us [was much better]. He acted in kindness toward us in ways we did not deserve and told us the truth [about God].
18 Pathen te ana hmuh noek moenih, a napa kah rhang dongah aka om Pathen kah khueh duen amah tah tueng coeng.
No one has ever seen God. But God’s only Son, [Jesus], who has always had a very close relationship with God, has told us about God.
19 Jerusalem kah Judah rhoek loh khosoih rhoek neh Levi rhoek te Johan taengah a tueih uh tih, “Nang ulae?” tila a dawt uh. Te vaengah Johan kah a phong tah he coeng ni.
The Jewish [leaders] [SYN] in Jerusalem [city] sent some [Jewish] priests and (Levites/men who worked in the temple) to where John was, to ask him some questions. They said to him, “What do you [claim about] yourself?”
20 Te vaengah a phong tih a basa moenih. Te dongah, “Kai tah Khrih moenih, “tila a phong.
So John told them the truth, and he told them clearly [DOU]. He said, “[I] am not (the Messiah/God’s chosen king)!”
21 Te vaengah amah te, “Te koinih ulae? Nang Elijah a?” a ti nauh. Tedae, “Kai moenih,” a ti nah. Nang te tonghma nim ca? a ti nah vaengah, “Moenih,” a ti nah.
Then they asked him, “Then what [do you say about yourself]? Are you [the prophet] Elijah [that was prophesied to return] {([someone/another prophet]) [prophesied would return]} [before the Messiah]?” He replied, “No, [I] am not.” Then they asked him, “Are you the prophet [like Moses that] ([we are waiting for/God promised to send])?” He replied, “No.”
22 Te dongah amah te, “U nim ca? kaimih aka tueih rhoek taengah ollannah ka paek uh hamla namah kawng te metlam na thui eh?” a ti nauh.
So they asked him, “Then who do you [claim to be]? [Tell us] so that we can [go back and] report to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 Te daengah, “Kai tah tonghma Isaiah loh a thui bangla 'Boeipa kah longpuei te dueng uh laeh' tila khosoek ah aka pang ol ni,” a ti nah.
John replied, “[I] am the one [the prophet Isaiah said] would proclaim [this new message] loudly [to the people who would pass by] in this desolate area: ‘Prepare [yourselves to receive] the Lord when he comes [MET], [just like people prepare] a road [for an important official].
24 Te phoeiah Pharisee rhoek taengah aka om rhoek te a tueih uh.
Some of those people [who were questioning] John were ones who had been sent by the Pharisee [religious group] {whom the Pharisee [religious group] had sent}.
25 Te vaengah amah a dawt uh tih, “Khrih la na om pawt atah balae tih na nuem? Nang te Elijah moenih, tonghma bal moenih,” a ti uh.
They asked John, “Since [you say] you are not the Messiah, nor [the prophet] Elijah, nor the prophet [like Moses], [what authority] do you have? [Furthermore], why are you baptizing [Jews, treating them as though they were non-Jews who wanted to become Jews]?”
26 Johan loh amih te a doo tih, “Kai loh tui ah kan nuem. Nangmih lakli ah aka pai te na hmat uh moenih.
John replied, “I am [just] baptizing people with water [to prepare them to welcome the Messiah]. But [right now] someone is among you whom you people do not know.
27 Anih te kai hnukah ha pawk dae a khokhom rhui ka hlam ham pataeng a koihhilh la ka om moenih,” a ti nah.
He [will preach to you] after I [am gone]. [He is so important that] I am not worthy to [serve him as a slave] [MET] [by] untying his sandals.”
28 He rhoek he tah Jordan rhalvangan kah Bethany ah om. Te rhoek ah Johan loh a nuem khaw om coeng.
Those things happened at [a place called] Bethany, on the [east] side of the Jordan [River], where John was baptizing people.
29 A vuenhnin ah a taengla Jesuh ha pawk te a hmuh tih, “Pathen kah tuca ke, anih loh Diklai kah tholhnah te a phueih.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. He said to the people, “Look! Here is the [man whom] God [has appointed to be a sacrifice] [MET], [like] the lambs [that the people of Israel sacrificed! By sacrificing himself] he will [make it possible for everyone in] the world to be no longer [guilty for having] sinned.
30 Kai loh, 'Kai hnukah aka pawk hlang tah kai hmaiah om coeng, kai lakah lamhma la a om dongah,’ ka ti te tah amah coeng ni.
He is the one about whom I said [before], ‘Someone will come later who is more important than I am, since he existed [long] before me.’
31 Kai khaw amah he kana ming pawh. Tedae Israel taengah a tueng ham dongah ni amah ha pawk vaengah kai loh tui ah ka nuem,” a ti.
I myself did not [previously] recognize that he [was the Messiah]. But [now I know who he is], and I have baptized people with water to enable [you people of] Israel to recognize who he is.”
32 Te phoeiah Johan loh a phong tih, “Mueihla tah vahu bangla vaan lamkah ha rhum tih anih soah a om te ka hmuh coeng,” a ti.
John spoke clearly [what God had shown him about Jesus]. He said, “I saw [God’s] Spirit as he was descending from heaven in the form of a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus.
33 Amah te ka hmat moenih. Tedae tui ah nuem ham kai aka tueih loh kai taengah, “A soah mueihla rhum tih a om thil te na hmuh. Anih tah Mueihla Cim dongah aka nuem la om,” a ti.
I myself did not know [previously] that he [was the Messiah]. However, [God] sent me to baptize people with water, [people who said they wanted to turn from their sinful ways. While I was doing that], God told me, ‘The man on whom you will see my Spirit descend and remain is the one who will put the Holy Spirit within you [(pl) to truly change your lives].’
34 Kai loh ka hmuh coeng dongah Pathen capa tah anih ni tite ka phong coeng.
I saw [the Spirit descend on him], and I tell you that he is (the Son of God/the person who is both God and man).”
35 A vuen ah Johan neh a hnukbang rhoek khuikah panit tah koep pai,
The next day John was at the same place again (with two of us/with two of his disciples).
36 Jesuh a caeh te a sawt doeah, “Pathen kah tuca ke,” a ti nah.
When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! There is the man God [has appointed to be a sacrifice, like] the lambs [MET] [the people of Israel have sacrificed!]”
37 Te vaengah hnukbang panit loh anih kah a thui te a yaak rhoi tih Jesuh a vai rhoi.
(When we/those two disciples) heard John say this, we/they went with Jesus.
38 Jesuh te a mael vaegah amih rhoi a vai rhoi te a hmuh tih, “Balae na mae?” a ti nah. Te rhoi long khaw amah te, “Rhabbi, “Te tah saya ni a thuingaih a ti, melam na naeh?” a ti na rhoi.
Jesus turned around and saw us/them coming behind him. So he asked us/them, “What do you want?” We/They replied, “Teacher, [tell us] where you are staying, [because we want to talk with you].”
39 Amih rhoi te, “Ha lo lamtah so rhoi lah,” a ti nah. Te dongah cet rhoi tih a rhaeh nah te a hmuh rhoi. Tedae khonoek parha tluk a lo coeng dongah tekah khohnin ah tah amah taengah rhaeh rhoi.
He replied, “Come [with me], and you will see [where I am staying]!” So we/they went with him and saw where he was staying. We/They stayed with him until about 4 o’clock (OR, from about 4 PM until the next day).
40 Johan taengkah a yaak rhoi khuikah pakhat tah Simon Peter kah a manuca Andrew khaw om tih amah a vai rhoi.
(One of us/One of the two men) who heard what John had said and who went with Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s [younger] brother.
41 Te long tah a maya Simon te a hmuh vaengah lamhma la, “Messiah Te tah Khrih ni a thuingaih, ka hmuh rhoi coeng,” a ti nah.
[After Andrew left Jesus], the first thing he did was to find his own [older] brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah!”
42 Anih te Jesuh taengah a khuen tih amah a hmuh vaengah Jesuh loh, “Nang tah Johan capa Simon ni, nang he Kephas (Te tah Peter tila a thuingaih) la n' khue ni,” a ti nah.
Then he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked intently at him, and then said, “You are Simon. Your father’s name is John. You will be given {[I] will give you} the name Cephas.” [Cephas is an Aramaic name that means ‘solid rock’. It] means [the same in Greek as the name] Peter.
43 A vuen ah Galilee la caeh hamla a ngaih. Te vaengah Philip a hmuh tih Jesuh loh anih te, “Kai m'vai lah,” a ti nah.
The next day [Jesus] decided to leave [the Jordan River valley]. He went to Galilee [district] and (OR, on the way there he) found a man named Philip. Jesus said to him, “Come with me!”
44 Philip tah Peter neh Andrew kah a kho Bethsaida lamkah ni.
Philip and Andrew and Peter were all from Bethsaida [town].
45 Philip loh Nathanael te a hmuh vaengah a taengah, “Moses neh tonghma rhoek loh Olkhueng khuiah a daek, Nazareth kah Joseph capa Jesuh te ka hmuh uh coeng,” a ti nah.
Then Philip [searched for] Nathaniel and found him, and said to him, “We have met [the Messiah], the one Moses [wrote about]! The prophets also [prophesied that he would come]. He is Jesus, from Nazareth [town]. His father’s name is Joseph.”
46 Te vaengah Nathanael loh Philip taengah, “Nazareth lamkah a then khat khaw om thai a?” a ti nah. Philip loh amah te, “Halo lamtah so lah,” a ti nah.
Nathaniel replied, “Nazareth? (Nothing good can come from [such an unimportant place]!/Can anything good come from [such an unimportant place]?) [RHQ]” Philip replied, “Come and see!”
47 Jesuh loh amah taengah Nathanael ha pawk te a hmuh vaengah, “Israel taktak la ke anih dongah tuengkhuepnah om pawh,” tila anih te a thui.
When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he said about Nathaniel, “Here is an example of a good Israelite! He never deceives anyone!”
48 Nathanael loh, “Metlam kai nan ming?” a ti nah vaengah amah te Jesuh loh a doo tih, “Philip loh nang te n'khue tom kah, thaibu hmuiah na om vaengah ni nang kan hmuh coeng,” a ti nah.
Nathaniel asked him, “How do you know what I [am like]?” Jesus replied, “I saw you before Philip called you, when you were [by yourself] under the fig tree.”
49 Nathanael loh Jesuh te, “Rhabbi, nang tah Pathen capa ni, namah tah Israel manghai ni,” a ti nah.
Then Nathaniel declared, “Teacher, you [must be] (the Son of God/the person who is both God and man)! You are the King of Israel [we have been waiting for]!”
50 Te vaengah Jesuh loh anih a doo tih, “Thaibu hmuiah nang kan hmuh te nang taengah kan thui dongah na tangnah nama? A tanglue rhoek te na hmuh bitni,” a ti nah.
Jesus replied to him, “You [RHQ] believe [those things about me] because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree. [I was able to see you supernaturally even though I was far away from you]. But you will see [me do] things that are more surprising than that!”
51 Te phoeiah anih te, “Nangmih taengah rhep rhep ka thui, vaan te ong uh vetih Pathen kah puencawn rhoek loh hlang capa a rhum thil neh a luei tak te na hmuh uh ni,” a ti nah.
Then Jesus said to him, “This is the absolute truth: [Just like what your ancestor Jacob saw long ago in a vision], some day you [(pl)] will see heaven opened up, and you will see God’s angels ascending from me and descending on me, the one who came from heaven.”
