yOhanaH 1
1 Adau vAda AsIt sa ca vAda IzvarENa sArdhamAsIt sa vAdaH svayamIzvara Eva|
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 sa AdAvIzvarENa sahAsIt|
He always existed with God [before] he began [MTY] [to create anything].
3 tEna sarvvaM vastu sasRjE sarvvESu sRSTavastuSu kimapi vastu tEnAsRSTaM nAsti|
He is the one by whom [God] caused everything to exist. He is the one who created absolutely everything [LIT].
4 sa jIvanasyAkAraH, tacca jIvanaM manuSyANAM jyOtiH
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 tajjyOtirandhakArE pracakAzE kintvandhakArastanna jagrAha|
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 yOhan nAmaka EkO manuja IzvarENa prESayAnjcakrE|
A man whose name was John was sent by God {God sent a man whose name was John}.
7 tadvArA yathA sarvvE vizvasanti tadarthaM sa tajjyOtiSi pramANaM dAtuM sAkSisvarUpO bhUtvAgamat,
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 sa svayaM tajjyOti rna kintu tajjyOtiSi pramANaM dAtumAgamat|
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 jagatyAgatya yaH sarvvamanujEbhyO dIptiM dadAti tadEva satyajyOtiH|
[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 sa yajjagadasRjat tanmadya Eva sa AsIt kintu jagatO lOkAstaM nAjAnan|
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 nijAdhikAraM sa Agacchat kintu prajAstaM nAgRhlan|
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 tathApi yE yE tamagRhlan arthAt tasya nAmni vyazvasan tEbhya Izvarasya putrA bhavitum adhikAram adadAt|
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 tESAM janiH zONitAnna zArIrikAbhilASAnna mAnavAnAmicchAtO na kintvIzvarAdabhavat|
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 sa vAdO manuSyarUpENAvatIryya satyatAnugrahAbhyAM paripUrNaH san sArdham asmAbhi rnyavasat tataH pituradvitIyaputrasya yOgyO yO mahimA taM mahimAnaM tasyApazyAma|
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 tatO yOhanapi pracAryya sAkSyamidaM dattavAn yO mama pazcAd AgamiSyati sa mattO gurutaraH; yatO matpUrvvaM sa vidyamAna AsIt; yadartham ahaM sAkSyamidam adAM sa ESaH|
[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 aparanjca tasya pUrNatAyA vayaM sarvvE kramazaH kramazOnugrahaM prAptAH|
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 mUsAdvArA vyavasthA dattA kintvanugrahaH satyatvanjca yIzukhrISTadvArA samupAtiSThatAM|
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 kOpi manuja IzvaraM kadApi nApazyat kintu pituH krOPasthO'dvitIyaH putrastaM prakAzayat|
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 tvaM kaH? iti vAkyaM prESTuM yadA yihUdIyalOkA yAjakAn lEvilOkAMzca yirUzAlamO yOhanaH samIpE prESayAmAsuH,
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 tadA sa svIkRtavAn nApahnUtavAn nAham abhiSikta ityaggIkRtavAn|
So John told them the truth, and he told them clearly [DOU]. He said, “[I] am not (the Messiah/God’s chosen king)!”
21 tadA tE'pRcchan tarhi kO bhavAn? kiM EliyaH? sOvadat na; tatastE'pRcchan tarhi bhavAn sa bhaviSyadvAdI? sOvadat nAhaM saH|
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 tadA tE'pRcchan tarhi bhavAn kaH? vayaM gatvA prErakAn tvayi kiM vakSyAmaH? svasmin kiM vadasi?
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 tadA sOvadat| paramEzasya panthAnaM pariSkuruta sarvvataH| itIdaM prAntarE vAkyaM vadataH kasyacidravaH| kathAmimAM yasmin yizayiyO bhaviSyadvAdI likhitavAn sOham|
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 yE prESitAstE phirUzilOkAH|
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 tadA tE'pRcchan yadi nAbhiSiktOsi EliyOsi na sa bhaviSyadvAdyapi nAsi ca, tarhi lOkAn majjayasi kutaH?
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 tatO yOhan pratyavOcat, tOyE'haM majjayAmIti satyaM kintu yaM yUyaM na jAnItha tAdRza EkO janO yuSmAkaM madhya upatiSThati|
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 sa matpazcAd AgatOpi matpUrvvaM varttamAna AsIt tasya pAdukAbandhanaM mOcayitumapi nAhaM yOgyOsmi|
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 yarddananadyAH pArasthabaithabArAyAM yasminsthAnE yOhanamajjayat tasmina sthAnE sarvvamEtad aghaTata|
Those things happened at [a place called] Bethany, on the [east] side of the Jordan [River], where John was baptizing people.
29 parE'hani yOhan svanikaTamAgacchantaM yizuM vilOkya prAvOcat jagataH pApamOcakam Izvarasya mESazAvakaM pazyata|
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 yO mama pazcAdAgamiSyati sa mattO gurutaraH, yatO hEtOrmatpUrvvaM sO'varttata yasminnahaM kathAmimAM kathitavAn sa EvAyaM|
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 aparaM nAhamEnaM pratyabhijnjAtavAn kintu isrAyEllOkA EnaM yathA paricinvanti tadabhiprAyENAhaM jalE majjayitumAgaccham|
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 punazca yOhanaparamEkaM pramANaM datvA kathitavAn vihAyasaH kapOtavad avatarantamAtmAnam asyOparyyavatiSThantaM ca dRSTavAnaham|
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 nAhamEnaM pratyabhijnjAtavAn iti satyaM kintu yO jalE majjayituM mAM prairayat sa EvEmAM kathAmakathayat yasyOparyyAtmAnam avatarantam avatiSThantanjca drakSayasi saEva pavitrE Atmani majjayiSyati|
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 avastannirIkSyAyam Izvarasya tanaya iti pramANaM dadAmi|
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 parE'hani yOhan dvAbhyAM ziSyAbhyAM sArddhEM tiSThan
The next day John was at the same place again (with two of us/with two of his disciples).
36 yizuM gacchantaM vilOkya gaditavAn, Izvarasya mESazAvakaM pazyataM|
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 imAM kathAM zrutvA dvau ziSyau yIzOH pazcAd IyatuH|
(When we/those two disciples) heard John say this, we/they went with Jesus.
38 tatO yIzuH parAvRtya tau pazcAd Agacchantau dRSTvA pRSTavAn yuvAM kiM gavEzayathaH? tAvapRcchatAM hE rabbi arthAt hE gurO bhavAn kutra tiSThati?
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 tataH sOvAdit Etya pazyataM| tatO divasasya tRtIyapraharasya gatatvAt tau taddinaM tasya saggE'sthAtAM|
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 yau dvau yOhanO vAkyaM zrutvA yizOH pazcAd AgamatAM tayOH zimOnpitarasya bhrAtA AndriyaH
(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 sa itvA prathamaM nijasOdaraM zimOnaM sAkSAtprApya kathitavAn vayaM khrISTam arthAt abhiSiktapuruSaM sAkSAtkRtavantaH|
[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 pazcAt sa taM yizOH samIpam Anayat| tadA yIzustaM dRSTvAvadat tvaM yUnasaH putraH zimOn kintu tvannAmadhEyaM kaiphAH vA pitaraH arthAt prastarO bhaviSyati|
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 parE'hani yIzau gAlIlaM gantuM nizcitacEtasi sati philipanAmAnaM janaM sAkSAtprApyAvOcat mama pazcAd Agaccha|
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 baitsaidAnAmni yasmin grAmE pitarAndriyayOrvAsa AsIt tasmin grAmE tasya philipasya vasatirAsIt|
Philip and Andrew and Peter were all from Bethsaida [town].
45 pazcAt philipO nithanElaM sAkSAtprApyAvadat mUsA vyavasthA granthE bhaviSyadvAdinAM granthESu ca yasyAkhyAnaM likhitamAstE taM yUSaphaH putraM nAsaratIyaM yIzuM sAkSAd akArSma vayaM|
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 tadA nithanEl kathitavAn nAsarannagarAta kiM kazciduttama utpantuM zaknOti? tataH philipO 'vOcat Etya pazya|
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 aparanjca yIzuH svasya samIpaM tam AgacchantaM dRSTvA vyAhRtavAn, pazyAyaM niSkapaTaH satya isrAyEllOkaH|
When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he said about Nathaniel, “Here is an example of a good Israelite! He never deceives anyone!”
48 tataH sOvadad, bhavAn mAM kathaM pratyabhijAnAti? yIzuravAdIt philipasya AhvAnAt pUrvvaM yadA tvamuPumbarasya tarOrmUlE'sthAstadA tvAmadarzam|
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 nithanEl acakathat, hE gurO bhavAn nitAntam Izvarasya putrOsi, bhavAn isrAyElvaMzasya rAjA|
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 tatO yIzu rvyAharat, tvAmuPumbarasya pAdapasya mUlE dRSTavAnAhaM mamaitasmAdvAkyAt kiM tvaM vyazvasIH? EtasmAdapyAzcaryyANi kAryyANi drakSyasi|
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 anyaccAvAdId yuSmAnahaM yathArthaM vadAmi, itaH paraM mOcitE mEghadvArE tasmAnmanujasUnunA Izvarasya dUtagaNam avarOhantamArOhantanjca drakSyatha|
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.”
