Yochanan 1-3

Orthodox Jewish Bible

1 Bereshis (in the Beginning) was the Dvar Hashem [YESHAYAH 55:11; BERESHIS 1:3], and the Dvar Hashem was agav (along with, etzel, Mishle 8:30;30:4) Hashem, and the Dvar Hashem was nothing less, by nature, than Elohim! [Psa 56:11(10); Yn 17:5; Rev. 19:13 i.e., the Ma’amar Memra]

² Bereshis (in the Beginning) this Dvar Hashem was with Hashem [Prov 8:30].

³ All things through him came to be, and without him came to be not one thing which came into being. [Ps 33:6,9; Prov 30:4]

⁴ In him was Chayyim (Life) and the Chayyim (Life) was the Ohr (Light) of Bnei Adam. [TEHILLIM 36:10 (9)]

⁵ And the Ohr shines in the choshech [TEHILLIM 18:28], and the choshech did not grasp it. [YESHAYAH 9:1]

⁶ There came an ish haElohim (a man of G-d), having been sent from Hashem. His name was Yochanan.

⁷ This Yochanan came for an eidus (witness), that he might give solemn edut (testimony) about the Ohr, that kol Bnei Adam might have emunah through him.

⁸ This ish haElohim was not the Ohr, but he came that he might give solemn edut (testimony) about the Ohr.

⁹ The Ohr, the Ohr HaAmitti (the True Light), which gives rational haskalah (enlightenment) to kol Bnei Adam (all mankind), was coming into the Olam Hazeh.

¹⁰ He was in the Olam Hazeh, the Olam (world) came to be through him [Ps 33:6,9]; yet the Olam Hazeh did not recognize him.

¹¹ He came to his own, and his own were not mekabel (accepting) the Kabbalus HaMalchus of him [YESHAYAH 53:3].

¹² But as many as him lekabel pnei Moshiach (receive him as Moshiach), to them he gave the tokef (authority) to become in fact yeladim haElohim [DEVARIM 14:1].

¹³ He gave this tokef to the ones whose being born was not by the agency of natural descent, nor by the ratzon (will) of basar (fallen human nature), nor by the ratzon of a gever (male)—rather, to the ones born of G-d (Yn 3:3,7).

¹⁴ And the Dvar Hashem took on gufaniyut (corporeality) and made his sukkah, his Mishkan (Tabernacle) among us [YESHAYAH 7:14], and we [Shlichim, 1Y 1:1-2] gazed upon his Kavod [SHEMOT 33:18; 40:34; YESHAYAH 60:1-2], the Shechinah of the Ben Yachid from Elohim HaAv, full of Hashem’s Chesed v’Emes.

¹⁵ And Yochanan gives solemn edut (testimony) about him and has cried out, This was he about whom I said, Hu HaBah (He who comes [Gn 49:10; Ezek 21:27]) after me is really before me in priority, because, before I came to be, he was (Yn 8:58).

¹⁶ For from the kol melo (all the plentitude) of him we all received Chesed upon Chesed.

¹⁷ Because the matan Torah (giving of the Torah) was graciously bestowed through Moshe [Rabbeinu] [DEVARIM 32:46 SHEMOT 31:18; 34:28], but Chesed and Emes of Hashem came through [Rebbe,] Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua [Ex 34:6; Ps 25:10; 40:11; 85:11; Yochanan 1:49].

¹⁸ No one has ever seen Hashem [Ex 33:20]. It is Elohim the Ben Yachid [who shares the nature of Hashem, the Chochman Ben Elohim at his side, see very importantly Mishle 8:30; 30:4)], it is he, the one being in the kheyk (bosom) of HaAv, this one is Hashem’s definitive midrash (exegesis).

¹⁹ And this is the solemn edut (testimony) of Yochanan, when those of Yehudah sent kohanim and L’viim from Yerushalayim to him that they might ask him, Mi atah? (Who are you?).

²⁰ Yochanan made hoda’a (confession, admission)‖he did not fail to make hoda’a‖and said clearly, I am not the [Rebbe,] Melech HaMoshiach.

²¹ And they asked Yochanan, What, then? Are you Eliyahu HaNavi? And Yochanan says, I am not. Are you the Navi? (DEVARIM 18:15,18) And he answered, Lo (No).

²² They said then to him, Mi atah? That we may give a teshuvah (answer) to the ones who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

²³ Yochanan said, I am a KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR, make straight the DERECH HASHEM! (YESHAYAH 40:3, TARGUM HASHIVIM), as Yeshayah HaNavi said.

²⁴ And the ones that had been sent were of the Perushim.

²⁵ And the Perushim asked Yochanan, If you are not the [Rebbe,] Melech HaMoshiach nor Eliyahu nor the Navi, then why do you administer the mikveh mayim’s tevilah?

²⁶ Yochanan answered the Perushim, I give a tevilah in a mikveh mayim; among you is standing one of whom you do not have da’as.

²⁷ Hu HaBah (he who comes, i.e., the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach who is coming into the Olam Hazeh), that is, He who comes after me, is one that I am not worthy even to untie the thong of his sandal.

²⁸ These events took place in Beit-Anyah (Bethany), beyond the Yarden River, which Yochanan was using as a mikveh mayim in which to administer the tevilah.

²⁹ On the next day, Yochanan sees Yehoshua coming to him, and Yochanan says, Hinei! The Seh HaElohim (Gn 22:8; Ex 12:5-13; Isa 53:7), the one carrying away the avonot HaOlam Hazeh (sins of this world i.e., as the sa’ir l’Azazel kapporah, Isa 53:6 7,12; Lv 16:22).

³⁰ This is he about whom I said, After me comes an ISH (ZECHARYAH 6:12) who is really before me in priority, because, before I came to be, he was (Yochanan 8:58).

³¹ And I did not recognize him, but that he might be manifested to Klal Yisroel, I came, therefore, administering the mikveh mayim’s tevilah.

³² And Yochanan gave solemn edut, I have seen the Ruach Hakodesh descending like a yonah out of Shomayim and remaining upon him. (YESHAYAH 11:2)

³³ And I did not recognize him, but the One who sent me to give the mikveh mayim’s tevilah said to me, Upon whomever you see the Ruach Hakodesh descending and remaining, this is the One giving the tevilah in the Ruach Hakodesh. [YOEL 3:1 (2:28)]

³⁴ And I have seen and I have given solemn edut (testimony) that this One is the Ben HaElohim. [2Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 1Ch 17:10-14; Prov 8:30; 30:4]

³⁵ On the next day, Yochanan was standing with two of his talmidim.

³⁶ And as Yochanan watched Yehoshua walking by, Yochanan says, Hinei the Seh HaElohim! (Gn 22:8; Ex 12:5-13; Isa 53:7)

³⁷ And the two talmidim heard Yochanan speaking, and they followed after him.

³⁸ When he turned and saw them following, he says to them, Mah tevakkeshun? (What do you seek?) And they said to him, Rebbe (which means, being translated, my Master Moreh [teacher]), where is your mekom megurim (dwelling place)?

³⁹ And he says to them, Bo’u u’re’u! (Come and see!) They went, therefore, and saw his mekom megurim, and remained with him that day. The hour was about the tenth (four o’clock in the afternoon).

⁴⁰ One of the two was the achi Shimon Kefa. His name was Andrew. He was one of the two who heard Yochanan and followed him.

⁴¹ Andrew first finds his own achi Shimon Kefa and says to him, We have found the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach!—the word, being translated, means "Messiah". [DANIEL 9:25; TEHILLIM 2:2; SHMUEL ALEF 2:10]

⁴² Andrew led Shimon to Yehoshua. When Yehoshua gazed at Shimon, he said, You are Shimon Bar Yonah. You will be called Kefa, which is translated Petros [Rock]. [BERESHIS 17:5,15; 32:28; 35:10]

⁴³ On the next day he wanted to go out into the Galil, and he finds Philippos, and says to Philippos, Follow me [as my talmid]. [MELACHIM ALEF 19:19]

⁴⁴ Now Philippos was from Beit Tzaidah, the shtetl of Andrew and Kefa.

⁴⁵ Philippos finds Natan’el and says to him, He whom Moshe [Rabbeinu] wrote of in the Sefer Torah, he whom the Nevi’im also wrote of—Yehoshua ben Yosef [ben Dovid], from Natzeret we have found! [DEVARIM 18:18; YESHAYAH 7:14; 9:5[6]; YECHEZKEL 34:23]

⁴⁶ And Natan’el said to Philippos, Can anything good come out of Natzeret? [7:41; YESHAYAH 11:1; ZECHARYAH 6:11 12] Philippos says to Natan’el, Bo’u u’re’u! (Come and see!) [MELACHIM BAIS 6:13]

⁴⁷ Yehoshua saw Natan’el coming to him, and he says, Hinei a genuine Ben Yisroel, in whom is no MIRMAH (deceit). [TEHILLIM 32:2; TZEFANYAH 3:13; YESHAYAH 53:9]

⁴⁸ Natan’el says to him, How do you have da’as of me? In reply, Yehoshua said to him, Before you received your kri’ah (call) from Philippos, while you were beneath the etz hate’enah (fig tree, MICHOH 4:4; ZECHARYAH 3:10), I watched you.

⁴⁹ In reply, Natan’el said to him, Rebbe, you are the Ben HaElohim [SHMUEL BAIS 7:14; TEHILLIM 2:7;89:26-27], the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach of Yisroel.

⁵⁰ In reply, Yehoshua said to Natan’el, Because I told you that I watched you beneath the etz hate’enah, do you have emunah (faith)? Greater than these things you will see.

⁵¹ And he says to Natan’el, Omein, omein, I say to you, you will see Shomayim having been opened and malachim (angels) of Hashem ascending and descending on the Ben HaAdam [i.e, Moshiach DANIEL 7:13-14; TZEFANYAH 3:15; BERESHIS 28:12].

2 On Yom HaShelishi, there was a Chasunoh (Wedding Feast) in Kanah in the Galil; and the Em (Mother) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was there.

² He and his talmidim were also invited to the Chasunoh (Wedding Feast).

³ And when yayin (wine) was lacking, the Em of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to him, They do not have yayin.

⁴ And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to her, Mah lanu valach, Isha? [BERESHIS 3:15] My sha’ah (hour, time) has not yet come. [Mt 26:18, 27-28]

⁵ The Em of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to the mesharetim, Asher yomar lakhem ta’asu (Do whatever he tells you). [BERESHIS 41:55]

⁶ Now there were shesh (six) stone water jars lying there. These were for the Jewish tohorot, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

⁷ Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Fill with mayim. And they filled them up to the top.

⁸ And he says to them, Draw now and bring to the Rosh HaMesibba (Head of the Reception, Feast). And they brought it.

⁹ And when the Rosh HaMesibba tasted the mayim having become yayin, and when he did not have da’as of where it came from‖but the mesharetim had da’as, the ones having drawn the water‖the Rosh HaMesibba summoned the Choson (Bridegroom).

¹⁰ And the Rosh HaMesibba says to him, Everyone sets out the yayin hatov first, and when they have become drunk, he sets out the inferior; you have kept the yayin hatov until now.

¹¹ This was the reshit (beginning) of the otot (miraculous signs) Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach accomplished in Kana of the Galil, and he manifested the kavod (glory) of him, v’ya’aminu bo (and they put their faith in him) [SHEMOT 14:31].

¹² After this he went down to K’far-Nachum and the Em of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and the achim and his talmidim also, and there they remained not many yamim (days).

¹³ And Pesach was fast approaching, and Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went up to Yerushalayim [DEVARIM 16:1-6].

¹⁴ And he found in the Beis Hamikdash the ones selling oxen and sheep and doves [VAYIKRA 1:14; DEVARIM 14:26] and the coin-dealers sitting [DEVARIM 14:25].

¹⁵ And having made a shot (whip) out of ropes Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach drove all of them out of the Beis Hamikdash, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the machalifei hakesafim (money-changers) and overturned their tishen (tables).

¹⁶ And to the ones selling doves, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Take these things from here. Do not make the Bais Avi a bais hasokharim (house of merchants). [ZECHARYAH 14:21]

¹⁷ The talmidim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach remembered that it had been written, KINAT BETECHA AKHALATNI (The zeal for Your bais will devour me [TEHILLIM 69:9].

¹⁸ In reply, those of Yehudah then said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, What ot (miraculous sign) do you show us for these things you do?

¹⁹ In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Bring churban to this heikhal and in shloshah yamim [YONAH 1:17; HOSHEA 6:2] I will raise it.

²⁰ Those of Yehudah then said, In forty and six years this Heikhal was built and you in shloshah yamim will raise it?

²¹ But that one was speaking about the heikhal of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach’s basar. [Gn 47:18; Ps 16:9-10; Job 19:25-27; Isa 53:10-11]

²² Therefore, when he underwent the Techiyas HaMoshiach (Resurrection of the Moshiach), his talmidim remembered that this he was saying and v’ya’aminu (and they put their faith SHEMOT 14:31) in the Kitvei Hakodesh [TEHILLIM 16:9-10] and the dvar which Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said.

²³ And when Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was in Yerushalayim during Pesach at the Chag (Feast), many from Yehudah had emunah (faith) in ha-Shem of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, seeing his otot (miraculous signs) which he was doing.

²⁴ But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was not entrusting himself to them, because he had da’as of kol Bnei Adam.

²⁵ And he had no need that anyone should give solemn edut (testimony) about them [YESHAYAH 11:3], for he knew what was in Bnei Adam [Dt 31:21; 1Kg 8:39].

3 Now there was a man of the Perushim. His name was Rav Nakdimon, a [Sanhedrist] katzin (leader) of the Yehudim.

² This one came to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach under cover of lailah and said to him, Rabbi, we have da’as that you are a moreh from Hashem having come, for no one is able these otot (miraculous signs) to do, which you do, unless Hashem is with him.

³ In reply, he said to him, Omein, omein, I say to you, unless someone is born anew [born again, Yn 1:13; Dt 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; Isa 52:1; Ezek 44:7,9], he is not able to see the Malchut Hashem.

⁴ Rav Nakdimon says to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, How is a man, being old, able to be born? Surely he is not able into the womb of immo a second time to enter and to be born?

⁵ In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Omein, omein, I say to you: unless someone is born of mayim (TEHILLIM 36:10 [9]) and Ruach Hakodesh [YECHEZEL 36:25-27; 37:14], he is not able to enter into the Malchut Hashem [Lk 17:21].

⁶ That which is born of basar is basar, and that which is born of the Ruach is ruach.

⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, It is necessary for you to be born again, born anew.

⁸ The ruach (wind, Spirit) blows where it wishes, and the sound of it you hear, but you do not have da’as of where it comes from and where it goes [KOHELET 11:5]; so it is with everyone having been born of the Ruach Hakodesh. [YECHEZKEL 37:9]

⁹ In reply, Rav Nakdimon said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, How is it possible for these things to happen?

¹⁰ In reply, he said to him, You hold the teaching office of rabbi, of moreh b’Yisroel and of these things you do not have da’as?

¹¹ Omein, omein, I say to you, that of which we have da’as we speak, and of that which we have seen, we give solemn edut (testimony), and the solemn edut of us you [pl.] do not receive.

¹² If I told you [pl.] about things of the Olam Hazeh and you have no emunah, how will you have emunah if I tell you about the things of the Olam Haba?

¹³ And no one has ascended into Shomayim except the one having descended out of Shomayim, the Ben HaAdam [Dan 7:13-14; Prov 30:4; Dt 30:12].

¹⁴ And as Moshe lifted up the nachash in the wilderness [Num 21:8-9], so it is necessary for there to be a hagbah (lifting up) of the Ben HaAdam [Ps 22; Isa 53].

¹⁵ That everyone having emunah {Gn 15:l-6; Num 14:11; Ex 14:31] in him may have Chayyei Olam [Dan 12:2; Isa 52:13].

¹⁶ For Hashem so had ahavah (agape) for the Olam Hazeh that Hashem gave the matanah (gift) [Isa 9:5 (6)] of Hashem’s Ben Yechid [Gn 22:12; Prov 30:4; 8:30} so that whosoever has emunah in him may not be ne’evad (lost, perish, be ruined with destruction), but find Chayyei Olam [Daniel 12:2].

¹⁷ For Hashem did not send the Ben HaElohim into the Olam Hazeh that he might judge the Olam Hazeh, but that the Olam Hazeh might be brought to the Geulah (Redemption) of the Olam Haba through him (Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach). [YESHAYAH 53:11]

¹⁸ The one of emunah who is mekabel Moshiach (accepting the person of the Ben HaAdam, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach) is not judged; but the one without emunah who is not mekabel Moshiach, already has been judged and given the psak din (verdict) of "condemned," because he has no emunah in the Shem of the Ben Yachid of Hashem.

¹⁹ And this is the psak din, that the Ohr has come into the Olam Hazeh, and Bnei Adam had ahavah for the choshech rather than for the Ohr, for their ma’asim were ra’im (evil). [TEHILLIM 52:3]

²⁰ For everyone walking in the derech resha’im has sin’as chinom (baseless hatred) for the Ohr and does not come to the Ohr, lest his ma’asim be exposed. [Ps l:6; Job 24:13-17]

²¹ But the one doing HaEmes comes to the Ohr that his ma’asim hamitzot may be manifested, that they have been wrought in Hashem.

²² After these things Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and his talmidim came into the land of Yehudah, and there he was staying with them and was giving the mikveh mayim’s tevilah.

²³ And Yochanan was also giving the tevilah near Shalem at Einayim, because there was plenty of water there for a mikveh, and the Yehudim were coming and submitting to the tevilah.

²⁴ Yochanan had not yet been incarcerated in the beit hasohar (prison).

²⁵ There was then a discussion of Yochanan’s talmidim with one of the Yehudim about the subject of tohorah (purification).

²⁶ And they came to Yochanan and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Yarden, the one to whom you have given solemn edut, hinei, this one gives the mikveh mayim’s tevilah and kol Bnei Adam come to him.

²⁷ In reply, Yochanan said, A man is not able to receive anything, unless it has been given to him from Shomayim.

²⁸ You yourselves stand as eidus (witness) to me, that I said I am not the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, but I have been sent as his foroisgeier (forerunner) [MALACHI 3:1].

²⁹ The one having the Kallah (bride) is the Choson (Bridegroom, i.e., Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach) but the Shoshvin (the Choson’s best man), the one having stood and hearing him with simcha, rejoices because of the kol (voice) of the Choson (Bridegroom). Therefore, this simcha of mine has been made sheleimah (complete).

³⁰ It is necessary for that one [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] to increase, but for me to decrease.

³¹ The one coming from above (Moshiach) is over all; the one being from Olam Hazeh is of Olam Hazeh and of the Olam Hazeh he speaks; Hu Habah (He who comes, i.e., Moshiach) from Shomayim is over all.

³² Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach gives solemn edut (testimony) to that which he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his eidus.

³³ The one who is mekabel Moshiach’s eidus has thereby set his chotam of attestation that Hashem is Emes.

³⁴ For he whom Hashem sent speaks the Divrei Hashem, for He gives the Ruach Hakodesh without measure. [YESHAYAH 42:1]

³⁵ Elohim HaAv (the Father) has ahavah (love) for HaBen [MISHLE 30:4; 8:30] and has given all things into his hand.

³⁶ The one with emunah in the Ben [HaElohim] has Chayyei Olam; but the one disobeying the Ben [HaElohim] will not see Chayyim, but the Charon Af Hashem remains on him.