John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;
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 this One was in the beginning with God;
He always existed with God [before] he began [MTY] [to create anything].
3 all things happened through Him, and without Him not even one thing happened that has happened.
He is the one by whom [God] caused everything to exist. He is the one who created absolutely everything [LIT].
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,
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 and the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not perceive it.
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 There came a man—having been sent from God—whose name [is] John,
A man whose name was John was sent by God {God sent a man whose name was John}.
7 this one came for testimony, that he might testify about the Light, that all might believe through him;
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 that one was not the Light, but—that he might testify about the Light.
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 He was the true Light, which enlightens every man, coming into the world;
[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 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him:
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 He came to [His] own, and [His] own did not receive Him;
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 but as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become sons of God—to those believing in His Name,
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 who were begotten, not of blood, nor of will of flesh, nor of will of man, but of God.
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 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of [the] only begotten of [the] Father, full of grace and truth.
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 John testifies concerning Him, and has cried, saying, “This was He of whom I said, He who is coming after me has come before me, for He was before me.”
[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 And we all received out of His fullness, and grace for grace;
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 for the Law was given through Moses, the grace and the truth came through Jesus Christ.
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 No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God who is on the bosom of the Father—He has expounded [Him].
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 And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites out of Jerusalem, that they might question him, “Who are you?”
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 And he confessed and did not deny, and confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
So John told them the truth, and he told them clearly [DOU]. He said, “[I] am not (the Messiah/God’s chosen king)!”
21 And they questioned him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he says, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
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 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those sending us? What do you say concerning yourself?”
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 He said, “I [am] a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD, as Isaiah the prophet said.”
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 And those sent were of the Pharisees,
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 and they questioned him and said to him, “Why, then, do you immerse, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
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 John answered them, saying, “I immerse in water, but in the midst of you has stood He whom you have not known, it is this One who is coming after me, who has been before me,
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 of whom I am not worthy that I may loose the strap of His sandal.”
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 These things came to pass in Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, where John was immersing.
Those things happened at [a place called] Bethany, on the [east] side of the Jordan [River], where John was baptizing people.
29 On the next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who is taking away the sin of the world;
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 this is He concerning whom I said, After me comes a Man who has come before me, because He was before me:
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 and I did not know Him, but that He might be revealed to Israel, because of this I came immersing in water.”
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 And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit coming down out of Heaven as a dove, and [that] One remained on Him;
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 and I did not know Him, but He who sent me to immerse in water, He said to me, On whomsoever you may see the Spirit coming down, and remaining on Him, this is He who is immersing in the Holy Spirit;
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 and I have seen, and have testified, that this is the Son of God.”
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 On the next day, again, John was standing, and two of his disciples,
The next day John was at the same place again (with two of us/with two of his disciples).
36 and having looked on Jesus walking, he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God”;
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 and the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.
(When we/those two disciples) heard John say this, we/they went with Jesus.
38 And Jesus having turned, and having beheld them following, says to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is, being interpreted, Teacher), “where do You remain?”
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 He says to them, “Come and see”; they came and saw where He remains, and they remained with Him that day and the hour was about the tenth.
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 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard from John, and followed Him;
(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 this one first finds his own brother Simon and says to him, “We have found the Messiah,” (which is, being interpreted, Anointed One),
[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 and he brought him to Jesus: and having looked on him, Jesus says, “You are Simon, the son of Jonas, you will be called Cephas,” (which is interpreted, A rock).
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 On the next day He willed to go forth to Galilee, and He finds Philip and says to him, “Follow Me.”
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 And Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter;
Philip and Andrew and Peter were all from Bethsaida [town].
45 Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, “Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the Prophets, we have found, Jesus the Son of Joseph, who [is] from Nazareth!”
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 And Nathanael said to him, “Is any good thing able to be out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
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 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and He says concerning him, “Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom is no guile”;
When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he said about Nathaniel, “Here is an example of a good Israelite! He never deceives anyone!”
48 Nathanael says to Him, “From where do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip’s calling you, being under the fig tree, I saw you.”
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 answered and says to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel.”
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 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, you believe; you will see greater things than these”;
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 and He says to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you will see Heaven opened, and the messengers of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
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.”
