The Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(A) who takes away the sin^(B) of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹ I didn’t know him,^(C) but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed^(D) to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit^(E) descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him.^{(F) 33} I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’^{(G) 34} I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”^[a](H)

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

³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. ³⁸ When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”

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

³⁹ “Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.^[b]

⁴⁰ Andrew,^(J) Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”^[c](K) (which is translated “the Christ”),^{(L) 42} and he brought Simon to Jesus.

When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of John.^[d] You will be called Cephas”^(M) (which is translated “Peter”^[e]).

Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus^[f] decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip^(N) and told him, “Follow me.”

⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida,^(O) the hometown of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael^(P) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets^(Q)): Jesus the son of Joseph,^(R) from Nazareth.”^(S)

⁴⁶ “Can anything good^(T) come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.

“Come and see,” Philip answered.

⁴⁷ Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite^(U) in whom there is no deceit.”

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

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

⁴⁹ “Rabbi,”^(V) Nathanael replied, “You are the Son^(W) of God; you are the King of Israel!” ^(X)

⁵⁰ Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” ⁵¹ Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God^(Y) ascending and descending^(Z) on the Son of Man.”^(AA)

Psalm 60

Prayer in Difficult Times

For the choir director: according to “The Lily of Testimony.”^(A) A Miktam of David for teaching. When he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck Edom in Salt Valley, killing twelve thousand.^(B)