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Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.

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The Account of Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Or In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, . . . Or When God began to create the heavens and the earth, . . .

Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

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13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

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17 He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.

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14 So the Word became human[a] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[b] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:14a Greek became flesh.
  2. 1:14b Or grace and truth; also in 1:17.

Introduction

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,[a] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Greek What was from the beginning.

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

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He existed in the beginning with God.

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“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”[a] says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1:8 Greek I am the Alpha and the Omega, referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

30 The Father and I are one.”

31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”

33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”

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22 “The Lord formed me from the beginning,
    before he created anything else.
23 I was appointed in ages past,
    at the very first, before the earth began.
24 I was born before the oceans were created,
    before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
25 Before the mountains were formed,
    before the hills, I was born—
26 before he had made the earth and fields
    and the first handfuls of soil.
27 I was there when he established the heavens,
    when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
28 I was there when he set the clouds above,
    when he established springs deep in the earth.
29 I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
    so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
30     I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
    rejoicing always in his presence.
31 And how happy I was with the world he created;
    how I rejoiced with the human family!

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Though he was God,[a]
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Or Being in the form of God.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:6 Or Wonderful, Counselor.

And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.

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23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,[a]
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[a] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

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Footnotes

  1. 7:14 Or young woman.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God.[a] And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:20 Greek the one who is true.

16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith[a]:

Christ[b] was revealed in a human body
    and vindicated by the Spirit.[c]
He was seen by angels
    and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
    and taken to heaven in glory.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:16a Or of godliness.
  2. 3:16b Greek He who; other manuscripts read God.
  3. 3:16c Or in his spirit.

But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
    You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
    Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
    pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”[a]

10 He also says to the Son,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
    and made the heavens with your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain forever.
    They will wear out like old clothing.
12 You will fold them up like a cloak
    and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
    you will live forever.”[b]

13 And God never said to any of the angels,

“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
    until I humble your enemies,
    making them a footstool under your feet.”[c]

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