约翰福音 1
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
生命之道
1 太初，道已经存在，道与上帝同在，道就是上帝。 2 太初，道就与上帝同在。 3 万物都是借着祂造的[a]，受造之物没有一样不是借着祂造的。 4 祂里面有生命，这生命是人类的光。 5 光照进黑暗里，黑暗不能胜过[b]光。
6 有一个人名叫约翰，是上帝差来的。 7 他来是要为光做见证，叫世人可以借着他而相信。 8 约翰不是那光，他来是为那光做见证。 9 那照亮世人的真光来到了世上。 10 祂来到自己所创造的世界，世界却不认识祂。 11 祂来到自己的地方，自己的人却不接纳祂。 12 但所有接纳祂的，就是那些信祂的人，祂就赐给他们权利成为上帝的儿女。 13 这些人既不是从人的血缘关系生的，也不是从人的情欲或意愿生的，而是从上帝生的。
14 道成为肉身，住在我们中间，充满了恩典和真理。我们见过祂的荣耀，正是父独一儿子的荣耀。
15 约翰为祂做见证的时候，高声喊道：“这就是我以前所说的那位，‘祂在我以后来却比我位分高，因为祂在我之前已经存在了。’” 16 从祂的丰盛里，我们一次又一次地领受了恩典。 17 因为律法是借着摩西颁布的，恩典和真理是借着耶稣基督赐下来的。 18 从来没有人见过上帝，只有父怀中的独一上帝[c]把祂显明出来。
施洗者约翰的见证
19 以下是约翰的见证。犹太人从耶路撒冷派祭司和利未人来找约翰，查问他是谁。 20 约翰毫不隐瞒地说：“我不是基督。”
21 他们问：“那么，你是谁？是以利亚吗？”
他说：“不是。”
他们又问：“你是那位先知吗？”
他说：“也不是。”
22 他们又追问：“你到底是谁？我们好回复差我们来的人。你自己说你是谁？”
23 他说：“我就是在旷野大声呼喊‘修直主的路’的那个人，正如以赛亚先知所言。”
24 派来的人当中有几个法利赛人[d]，他们问他： 25 “你既然不是基督，不是以利亚，也不是那位先知，那你为什么给人施洗呢？”
26 约翰答道：“我是用水施洗，但在你们中间有一位你们不认识的， 27 祂虽然是在我以后来的，我就是给祂解鞋带也不配。” 28 这事发生在约旦河东岸的伯大尼，那里是约翰给人施洗的地方。
上帝的羔羊
29 次日，约翰看见耶稣走过来，就说：“看啊！上帝的羔羊，除去世人罪恶的！ 30 这就是我以前所说的那位，‘有一个人在我以后来却比我位分高，因为祂在我之前已经存在了。’ 31 我以前并不认识祂，现在我用水给人施洗，是要把祂显明给以色列人。”
32 约翰又做见证说：“我看见圣灵好像鸽子一样从天降下，住在祂身上。 33 我本来不认识祂，但那位差我来用水给人施洗的告诉我，‘你看见圣灵降下，住在谁身上，谁就是用圣灵给人施洗的。’ 34 我看见了，便做见证，祂就是上帝的儿子。”
第一批门徒
35 再次日，约翰和两个门徒站在那里， 36 他看见耶稣经过，就说：“看啊！这是上帝的羔羊！” 37 两个门徒听见他的话，便跟从了耶稣。 38 耶稣转过身来，看见他们跟着，便问：“你们想要什么？”
他们说：“老师[e]，你住在哪里？”
39 耶稣说：“你们来看吧。”他们便跟着去看耶稣住的地方。到了那里大约下午四点了，他们就住在耶稣那里。 40 听见约翰的话后跟从耶稣的两个人中，有一个是西门·彼得的弟弟安得烈。 41 他首先去找他哥哥西门，说：“我们找到弥赛亚了！”弥赛亚的意思是基督[f]。 42 他带着西门去见耶稣。
耶稣看着西门，对他说：“约翰的儿子西门，你要改名为矶法。”矶法的意思是彼得。
43 又过了一天，耶稣决定去加利利。祂遇见了腓力，就对他说：“跟从我！” 44 腓力是伯赛大人，与彼得、安得烈是同乡。 45 腓力去找拿但业，对他说：“我们遇见了摩西律法书和先知书记载的那位！祂是约瑟的儿子耶稣，从拿撒勒来的。”
46 拿但业说：“拿撒勒还会出什么好东西？”
腓力说：“你来看看吧！”
47 耶稣看见拿但业走过来，就指着他说：“看啊，这是个真正的以色列人！他心里毫无诡诈。”
48 拿但业问耶稣：“你怎么会认识我？”
耶稣答道：“腓力还没有去找你之前，我就看见你在无花果树下了。”
49 拿但业说：“老师，你是上帝的儿子！你是以色列的王！”
50 耶稣说：“我说看见你在无花果树下，你就信我吗？将来你还要看见比这更大的事。 51 我实实在在地告诉你们，你们会看见天门敞开，上帝的天使以人子[g]为梯上上下下。”
John 1
Easy-to-Read Version
Christ Comes to the World
1 Before the world began, the Word[a] was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was there with God in the beginning. 3 Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him. 4 In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. 5 The light[b] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated[c] it.
6 There was a man named John, who was sent by God. 7 He came to tell people about the light. Through him all people could hear about the light and believe. 8 John was not the light. But he came to tell people about the light. 9 The true light was coming into the world. This is the true light that gives light to all people.
10 The Word was already in the world. The world was made through him, but the world did not know him. 11 He came to the world that was his own. And his own people did not accept him. 12 But some people did accept him. They believed in him, and he gave them the right to become children of God. 13 They became God’s children, but not in the way babies are usually born. It was not because of any human desire or plan. They were born from God himself.
14 The Word became a man and lived among us. We saw his divine greatness—the greatness that belongs to the only Son of the Father. The Word was full of grace and truth. 15 John told people about him. He said loudly, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he was living before I was even born.’”
16 Yes, the Word was full of grace and truth, and from him we all received one blessing after another.[d] 17 That is, the law was given to us through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father.[e]
John Tells About the Messiah(A)
19 The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “Who are you?” He told them the truth. 20 Without any hesitation he said openly and plainly, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He answered, “No, I am not Elijah.”
They asked, “Are you the Prophet[f]?”
He answered, “No, I am not the Prophet.”
22 Then they said, “Who are you? Tell us about yourself. Give us an answer to tell the people who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John told them the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am the voice of someone shouting in the desert:
‘Make a straight road ready for the Lord.’” (B)
24 These Jews were sent from the Pharisees. 25 They said to John, “You say you are not the Messiah. You say you are not Elijah or the Prophet. Then why do you baptize people?”
26 John answered, “I baptize people with water. But there is someone here with you that you don’t know. 27 He is the one who is coming later. I am not good enough to be the slave who unties the strings on his sandals.”
28 These things all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. This is where John was baptizing people.
Jesus, the Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘There is a man coming after me who is greater than I am, because he was living even before I was born.’ 31 I did not know who he was. But I came baptizing people with water so that Israel could know that he is the Messiah.[g]”
32-34 Then John said this for everyone to hear: “I also did not know who the Messiah was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and rest on a man. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen this happen. I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on this man. So this is what I tell people: ‘He is the Son of God.’[h]”
The First Followers of Jesus
35 The next day John was there again and had two of his followers with him. 36 He saw Jesus walking by and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two followers heard him say this, so they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw the two men following him. He asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” (“Rabbi” means “Teacher.”)
39 He answered, “Come with me and you will see.” So the two men went with him. They saw the place where he was staying, and they stayed there with him that day. It was about four o’clock.
40 These men followed Jesus after they had heard about him from John. One of them was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to go and find his brother Simon. Andrew said to him, “We have found the Messiah.” (“Messiah” means “Christ.”)
42 Then Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas.” (“Cephas” means “Peter.[i]”)
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He met Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man that Moses wrote about in the law. The prophets wrote about him too. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph. He is from Nazareth.”
46 But Nathanael said to Philip, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip answered, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said, “This man coming is a true Israelite, one you can trust.[j]”
48 Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree, before Philip told you about me.”
49 Then Nathanael said, “Teacher, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.”
50 Jesus said to him, “Do you believe this just because I said I saw you under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than that!” 51 Then he said, “Believe me when I say that you will all see heaven open. You will see ‘angels of God going up and coming down’[k] on the Son of Man.”
Footnotes
- John 1:1 Word The Greek word is “ logos,” meaning any kind of communication. It could be translated “message.” Here, it describes Jesus Christ before he was sent to earth as a human being, which is the way God chose to tell the world about himself. Also in verses 10, 14, 16.
- John 1:5 light Meaning Christ, the Word, who brought to the world understanding about God. Also in verse 7.
- John 1:5 defeated Or “understood.”
- John 1:16 one blessing after another Literally, “grace in place of grace.”
- John 1:18 The only Son … Father Or more literally, “The only Son, God, who is very close to the Father, has shown us what he is like.” Some other Greek copies say, “The only Son is very close to the Father and has shown us what he is like.”
- John 1:21 Prophet They probably meant the prophet that God told Moses he would send. See Deut. 18:15-19. Also in verse 24.
- John 1:31 so that … the Messiah Literally, “so that he might be revealed as the Messiah to Israel.” See “Messiah” in the Word List.
- John 1:32 He is the Son of God Some very early Greek copies have “He is the chosen one of God.”
- John 1:42 Peter The Greek name “Peter,” like the Aramaic name “Cephas,” means “rock.”
- John 1:47 one you can trust Literally, “in whom is no deceit.” In the Old Testament, Israel’s other name, Jacob, is explained with words that mean “deceit” or “trickery,” for which he was well known. See Gen. 27:35, 36.
- John 1:51
Quote from Gen. 28:12.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International