John 1
1 In the beginning the Word was; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God;
He was in the beginning with God.
3 through him all things came into being, and nothing came into being apart from him.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing that exists came into being.
4 That which came into being in him was life; and the life was the light of humanity;
In Him was Life, and that Life was the Light of men.
5 and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness never overpowered it.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
6 There appeared a man sent from God, whose name was John;
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 he came as a witness – to bear witness to the light so that through him everyone might believe.
He came as a witness, in order that he might give testimony concerning the Light--so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but he came to bear witness to the light.
He was not the Light, but he existed that he might give testimony concerning the Light.
9 That was the true light which enlightens everyone coming into the world.
The true Light was that which illumines every man by its coming into the world.
10 He was in the world; and through him the world came into being – yet the world did not know him.
He was in the world, and the world came into existence through Him, and the world did not recognize Him.
11 He came to his own – yet his own did not receive him.
He came to the things that were His own, and His own people gave Him no welcome.
12 But to all who did receive him he gave power to become children of God – to those who believe in his name.
But all who have received Him, to them--that is, to those who trust in His name--He has given the privilege of becoming children of God;
13 For not to natural conception, nor to human instincts, nor to human will did they owe the new life, but to God.
who were begotten as such not by human descent, nor through an impulse of their own nature, nor through the will of a human father, but from God.
14 And the Word became human, and lived among us, (We saw his glory – the glory of the Only Son sent from the Father), full of love and truth.
And the Word came in the flesh, and lived for a time in our midst, so that we saw His glory--the glory as of the Father's only Son, sent from His presence. He was full of grace and truth.
15 (John bears witness to him; he cried aloud – for it was he who spoke – “He who is coming after me is now before me, for he was ever first”);
John gave testimony concerning Him and cried aloud, saying, "This is He of whom I said, 'He who is coming after me has been put before me,' for He was before me."
16 out of his fullness we have all received gift after gift of love;
For He it is from whose fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 for the Law was given through Moses, love and truth came through Jesus Christ.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever yet seen God; God the only Son, who is ever with the Father – he has revealed him.
No human eye has ever seen God: the only Son, who is in the Father's bosom--He has made Him known.
19 When the religious authorities in Jerusalem sent some Priests and Levites to ask John – “Who are you?”,
This also is John's testimony, when the Jews sent to him a deputation of Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who he was.
20 he told them clearly and simply, “I am not the Christ.”
He avowed--he did not conceal the truth, but avowed, "I am not the Christ."
21 “What then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” “Are you ‘the prophet’?” He answered, “No.”
"What then?" they inquired; "are you Elijah?" "I am not," he said. "Are you the Prophet?" "No," he answered.
22 “Who then are you?” they continued. “Tell us so that we have an answer to give to those who have sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
So they pressed the question. "Who are you?" they said--"that we may take an answer to those who sent us. What account do you give of yourself?"
23 “I,” he answered, “am – ‘The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness: make a straight road for the Lord’, as the prophet Isaiah said.”
"I am the voice," he replied, "of one crying aloud, 'Make straight the Lord's way in the Desert,' fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah."
24 These men had been sent from the Pharisees;
They were Pharisees who had been sent.
25 and their next question was, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ or Elijah or ‘the prophet’?”
Again they questioned him. "Why then do you baptize," they said, "if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the Prophet?"
26 John’s answer was – “I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know;
"I baptize in water only," John answered, "but in your midst stands One whom you do not know--
27 he is coming after me, yet I am not worthy even to unfasten his sandal.”
He who is to come after me, and whose sandal-strap I am not worthy to unfasten."
28 This happened at Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
This conversation took place at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and exclaimed, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and exclaimed, "Look, that is the Lamb of God who is to take away the sin of the world!
30 I was talking about him when I said ‘After me there is coming a man who ranks ahead of me, because before I was born he already was.’
This is He about whom I said, 'After me is to come One who has been put before me, because He was before me.'
31 I did not know who he was, but I have come baptizing with water to make him known to Israel.”
I did not yet know Him; but that He may be openly shown to Israel is the reason why I have come baptizing in water."
32 John also said: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on him.
John also gave testimony by stating: "I have seen the Spirit coming down like a dove out of Heaven; and it remained upon Him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, he said to me ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him – he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
I did not yet know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, "'The One on whom you see the Spirit coming down, and remaining, He it is who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'
34 This I have seen myself, and I have declared my belief that he is the Son of God.”
"This I have seen, and I have become a witness that He is the Son of God."
35 The next day, when John was standing with two of his disciples,
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 he looked at Jesus as he passed and exclaimed, “There is the Lamb of God!”
when he saw Jesus passing by, and said, "Look! that is the Lamb of God!"
37 The two disciples heard him say this, and followed Jesus.
The two disciples heard his exclamation, and they followed Jesus.
38 But Jesus turned around, and saw them following. “What are you looking for?” he asked. “Rabbi,” they answered (or, as we should say, ‘Teacher’), “where are you staying?”
Then Jesus turned round, and seeing them following He asked them, "What is your wish?" "Rabbi," they replied--'Rabbi' means 'Teacher' --"where are you staying?"
39 “Come, and you will see,” he replied. So they went, and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was then about four in the afternoon.
"Come and you shall see," He said. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they remained and spent that day with Him. It was then about ten o'clock in the morning.
40 One of the two, who heard what John said and followed Jesus, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's exclamation and followed Jesus.
41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (a word which means ‘Christ,’ or ‘Consecrated’.)
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" --that is to say, the Anointed One.
42 Then he brought him to Jesus. Looking straight at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which means ‘Peter,’ or ‘Rock’).
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John: you shall be called Cephas" --that is to say, Peter (or 'Rock').
43 The following day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip, and said to him, “Follow me.”
The next day, having decided to leave Bethany and go into Galilee, Jesus found Philip, and invited him to follow Him.
44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.
(Now Philip came from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.)
45 He found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and of whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph’s son!”
Then Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the Law wrote, as well as the Prophets--Jesus, the son of Joseph, a man of Nazareth."
46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asked Nathanael. “Come and see,” replied Philip.
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" replied Nathanael. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!”
Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, and said of him, "Look! here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceitfulness!"
48 “How do you know me?” asked Nathanael. “Even before Philip called you,” replied Jesus, “when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. "Before Philip called you," said Jesus, "when you were under the fig-tree I saw you."
49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael exclaimed, “you are the Son of God, you are king of Israel!”
"Rabbi," cried Nathanael, "you are the Son of God, you are Israel's King!"
50 “Do you believe in me,” asked Jesus, “because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than those!
"Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig-tree,'" replied Jesus, "do you believe? You shall see greater things than that."
51 In truth I tell you,” he added, “you will all see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
"I tell you all in most solemn truth," He added, "that you shall see Heaven opened wide, and God's angels going up, and coming down to the Son of Man."
