John
Chapter 1
1 At the start, the Word existed, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God from the start.
3 God made everything; nothing was made without him.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light for everyone.
5 The light shines in the dark, but the dark did not understand it.
6 God sent a man named John.
7 He came as a witness to tell about the Light, so that everyone might believe through him.
8 He was not the Light, but came to testify about the Light.
9 That was the real Light, giving light to everyone coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and he made the world, but the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own people, but they did not accept him.
12 But as many as accepted him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, even to those who believe in his name.
13 They were born, not from human origin or human desire, but from God.
14 The Word became a human and lived with us, and we saw his glory, the glory of God’s one and only Son, full of kindness and truth.
15 John gave witness about him, shouting, “This is who I was talking about when I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me because he existed before me.’”
16 From his fullness, we have all received one blessing after another.
17 Moses gave the law, but Jesus Christ brought grace and truth.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the unique Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
19 This is John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He admitted and did not deny; he admitted, I am not the Christ.
21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not. Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”
22 They asked him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am someone shouting in the desert, ‘Prepare the path for God,’ just as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 The people who were sent came from the Pharisees.
25 They asked him, “Why do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet?”
26 John replied to them, “I baptize with water, but there is someone among you who you do not recognize.
27 He is the one who comes after me, but is greater than me, and I am not good enough to untie his sandal.
28 These things happened in Bethabara across the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the world’s sin.”
30 This is the person I was talking about. A man comes after me who is more important than I am because he existed before me.
31 I did not know him, but I came to baptize with water so that he might be shown to Israel.
32 John testified, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove, and it stayed on him.”
33 I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The person you see the Spirit coming down on and staying with is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 I saw and confirmed that this is God’s Son.
35 The next day John was there again with two of his followers.
36 Seeing Jesus walking, he said, Look, the Lamb of God!
37 The two followers heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned around, saw them following, and asked, “What are you looking for?” They answered, “Teacher, where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he lived and stayed with him that day; it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
40 One of the two people who heard John and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first finds his brother Simon and tells him, “We have found the Messiah,” which means Christ.
42 He took him to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of Jonah. You will be called Cephas,” which means a rock.
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee, where he met Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip came from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses in the law, and the prophets wrote about, Jesus from Nazareth, Joseph’s son.”
46 Nathanael asked him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said about him, “Look, a true Israelite, who is not deceitful!”
48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Teacher, you are God’s Son; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus replied, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see things even greater than that.”
51 He said to him, “Truly, truly, I tell you, you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up and down on the Son of Man.”