John 1:1-9
Contemporary English Version
The Word of Life
1 In the beginning was the one
who is called the Word.
The Word was with God
and was truly God.
2 From the very beginning
the Word was with God.
3 And with this Word,
God created all things.
Nothing was made
without the Word.
Everything that was created
4 received its life from him,
and his life gave light
to everyone.
5 The light keeps shining
in the dark,
and darkness has never
put it out.[a]
6 (A) God sent a man named John,
7 who came to tell
about the light
and to lead all people
to have faith.
8 John wasn't this light.
He came only to tell
about the light.
9 The true light that shines
on everyone
was coming into the world.
Footnotes
- 1.5 put it out: Or “understood it.”
John 1:1-9
New International Version
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word,(A) and the Word was with God,(B) and the Word was God.(C) 2 He was with God in the beginning.(D) 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.(E) 4 In him was life,(F) and that life was the light(G) of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness,(H) and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.(I)
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.(J) 7 He came as a witness to testify(K) concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.(L) 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light(M) that gives light to everyone(N) was coming into the world.
Footnotes
- John 1:5 Or understood
John 1:10-18
Contemporary English Version
10 The Word was in the world,
but no one knew him,
though God had made the world
with his Word.
11 He came into his own world,
but his own nation
did not welcome him.
12 Yet some people accepted him
and put their faith in him.
So he gave them the right
to be the children of God.
13 They were not God's children
by nature or because
of any human desires.
God himself was the one
who made them his children.
14 The Word became
a human being
and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory,
the glory of the only Son
of the Father.
From him the complete gifts
of undeserved grace and truth
have come down to us.
15 John spoke about him and shouted, “This is the one I told you would come! He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born.”
16 Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another.[a] 17 The Law was given by Moses, but Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1.16 one blessing after another: Or “one blessing in place of another.”
John 1:10-18
New International Version
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,(A) the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.(B) 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed(C) in his name,(D) he gave the right to become children of God(E)— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.(F)
14 The Word became flesh(G) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,(H) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace(I) and truth.(J)
15 (John testified(K) concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)(L) 16 Out of his fullness(M) we have all received grace(N) in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses;(O) grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.(P) 18 No one has ever seen God,(Q) but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[a](R) is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Footnotes
- John 1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who
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