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John Prepares the Way(A)

19 This was John’s answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 John didn’t refuse to answer. He told them clearly, “I’m not the Messiah.”

21 They asked him, “Well, are you Elijah?”

John answered, “No, I’m not.”

Then they asked, “Are you the prophet?”

John replied, “No.”

22 So they asked him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John said, “I’m a voice crying out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 Some of those who had been sent were Pharisees. 25 They asked John, “Why do you baptize if you’re not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?”

26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Someone you don’t know is standing among you. 27 He’s the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap.”

28 This happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

John Identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God

29 John saw Yeshua coming toward him the next day and said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 30 He is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘A man who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’ 31 I didn’t know who he was. However, I came to baptize with water to show him to the people of Israel.”

32 John said, “I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33 I didn’t know who he was. But God, who sent me to baptize with water, had told me, ‘When you see the Spirit come down and stay on someone, you’ll know that person is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen this and have declared that this is the Son of God.”

Calling of the First Disciples

35 The next day John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 John saw Yeshua walk by. John said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God.” 37 When the two disciples heard John say this, they followed Yeshua.

38 Yeshua turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 Yeshua told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went to see where he was staying and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about ten o’clock in the morning.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John and followed Yeshua. 41 Andrew at once found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42 Andrew brought Simon to Yeshua.

Yeshua looked at Simon and said, “You are Simon, son of John. Your name will be Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

43 The next day Yeshua wanted to go to Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me!” 44 (Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)

45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man whom Moses wrote about in his teachings and whom the prophets wrote about. He is Yeshua, son of Joseph, from the city of Nazareth.”

46 Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Philip told him, “Come and see!”

47 Yeshua saw Nathanael coming toward him and remarked, “Here is a true Israelite who is sincere.”

48 Nathanael asked Yeshua, “How do you know anything about me?”

Yeshua answered him, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Nathanael said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”

50 Yeshua replied, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 Yeshua said to Nathanael, “I can guarantee this truth: You will see the sky open and God’s angels going up and coming down to the Son of Man.”

Jesus Changes Water into Wine

Three days later a wedding took place in the city of Cana in Galilee. Yeshua’s mother was there. Yeshua and his disciples had been invited too.

When the wine was gone, Yeshua’s mother said to him, “They’re out of wine.”

Yeshua said to her, “Why did you come to me? My time has not yet come.”

His mother told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Six stone water jars were there. They were used for Jewish purification rituals. Each jar held 18 to 27 gallons.

Yeshua told the servers, “Fill the jars with water.” The servers filled the jars to the brim. Yeshua said to them, “Pour some, and take it to the person in charge.” The servers did as they were told.

The person in charge tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it had come from, although the servers who had poured the water knew. The person in charge called the groom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the best wine first. When people are drunk, the host serves cheap wine. But you have saved the best wine for now.”

11 Cana in Galilee was the place where Yeshua began to perform miracles. He made his glory public there, and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this, Yeshua, his mother, brothers, and disciples went to the city of Capernaum and stayed there for a few days.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19 Now this was John’s(A) testimony when the Jewish leaders[a](B) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”(C)

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”(D)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”(E)

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(F) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[b](G)

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[c] water,”(H) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me,(I) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”(J)

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,(K) where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,(L) who takes away the sin of the world!(M) 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’(N) 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.(O) 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water(P) told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’(Q) 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[d](R)

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus(S)

35 The next day John(T) was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”(U)

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”(V) (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).(W) 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called(X) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[e]).(Y)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,(Z) he said to him, “Follow me.”(AA)

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.(AB) 45 Philip found Nathanael(AC) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,(AD) and about whom the prophets also wrote(AE)—Jesus of Nazareth,(AF) the son of Joseph.”(AG)

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”(AH) Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite(AI) in whom there is no deceit.”(AJ)

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi,(AK) you are the Son of God;(AL) you are the king of Israel.”(AM)

50 Jesus said, “You believe[f] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[g] you[h] will see ‘heaven open,(AN) and the angels of God ascending and descending(AO) on’[i] the Son of Man.”(AP)

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.(AQ) Jesus’ mother(AR) was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman,[j](AS) why do you involve me?”(AT) Jesus replied. “My hour(AU) has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”(AV)

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,(AW) each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[k]

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.(AX) He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs(AY) through which he revealed his glory;(AZ) and his disciples believed in him.(BA)

12 After this he went down to Capernaum(BB) with his mother(BC) and brothers(BD) and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Footnotes

  1. John 1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
  2. John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
  3. John 1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)
  4. John 1:34 See Isaiah 42:1; many manuscripts is the Son of God.
  5. John 1:42 Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.
  6. John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?
  7. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  8. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  9. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12
  10. John 2:4 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
  11. John 2:6 Or from about 75 to about 115 liters