The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.^{(A) 2} He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being^{(B) 4} in him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of all people.^{(C) 5} The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^[b](D)

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.^{(E) 11} He came to what was his own,^[c] and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,^{(F) 13} who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.^(G)

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,^[d] full of grace and truth.^{(H) 15} (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^{[e](I) 17} The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^{(J) 18} No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who^[f] is close to the Father’s heart,^[g] who has made him known.^(K)

The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹ This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”^{[h](L) 21} And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”^{(M) 22} Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said,

as the prophet Isaiah said.^(N)

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah,^[i] nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, ²⁷ the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” ²⁸ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Moses’s Miraculous Power

4 Then Moses answered, “But look, they may not believe me or listen to me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”^{(A) 2} The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”^{(B) 3} And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses drew back from it. ⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and seize it by the tail”—so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand— ⁵ “so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

⁶ Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, as white as snow.^{(C) 7} Then God said, “Put your hand back into your cloak”—so he put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored like the rest of his body^(D)— ⁸ “If they will not believe you or heed the first sign, they may believe the second sign. ⁹ If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to you, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”^(E)

¹⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”^{(F) 11} Then the Lord said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?^{(G) 12} Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.”^{(H) 13} But he said, “O my Lord, please send someone else.” ¹⁴ Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, “What of your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak well; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad.^{(I) 15} You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what you shall do.^{(J) 16} He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. ¹⁷ Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”^(K)

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me go back to my own people in Egypt and see whether they are still living.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who were seeking your life are dead.”^{(L) 20} So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt, and Moses carried the staff of God in his hand.^(M)

²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power, but I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.^{(N) 22} Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.^{(O) 23} I said to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”^(P)

⁸ Watch out that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental principles^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ.^{(A) 9} For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.^{(B) 11} In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision,^[b] by the removal of the body^[c] of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;^{(C) 12} when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.^{(D) 13} And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God^[d] made you^[e] alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,^{(E) 14} erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed^[f] the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.^(F)

¹⁶ Therefore, do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food or^[g] drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.^{(G) 17} These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the body belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, initiatory visions,^[h] puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking,^{[i] 19} and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God.^(H)

Warnings against False Teachers

²⁰ If with Christ you died to the elemental principles^[j] of the world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations,^{(I) 21} “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? ²² All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings.^{(J) 23} These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.^[k]

The New Life in Christ

3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.^{(K) 2} Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, ³ for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.^{(L) 4} When Christ who is your^[l] life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.^(M)

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).^{(N) 6} On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.^{[m](O) 7} These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.^{[n] 8} But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive^[o] language from your mouth.^{(P) 9} Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.^{(Q) 11} In that renewal^[p] there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all!^(R)