John 1
New Testament for Everyone
The Word made flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was close beside God, and the Word was God. 2 In the beginning, he was close beside God.
3 All things came into existence through him; not one thing that exists came into existence without him. 4 Life was in him, and this life was the light of the human race. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man called John, who was sent from God. 7 He came as evidence, to give evidence about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. 8 He was not himself the light, but he came to give evidence about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to every human being, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to anyone who did accept him, he gave the right to become God’s children; yes, to anyone who believed in his name. 13 They were not born from blood, or from fleshly desire, or from the intention of a man, but from God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and lived among us. We gazed upon his glory, glory like that of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
15 John gave evidence about him, loud and clear.
“This is the one,” he said, “that I was speaking about when I told you, ‘The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me, because he was before me.’ ”
16 Yes; it’s out of his fullness that we have all received, grace indeed on top of grace. 17 The law, you see, was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah. 18 Nobody has ever seen God. The only-begotten God, who is intimately close to the father—he has brought him to light.
The evidence of John
19 This is the evidence John gave, when the Judaeans sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He was quite open about it; he didn’t try to deny it. He said, quite openly, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “What then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No, I’m not,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet?”
“No.”
22 “Well, then, who are you?” they said. “We’ve got to take some kind of answer back to the people who sent us. Who do you claim to be?”
23 “I’m a voice calling in the desert,” he said, “ ‘Straighten out the road for the master!’ ”—just as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 The people who had been sent were from the Pharisees. 25 They continued to question him.
“So why are you baptizing,” they asked, “if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26 “I’m baptizing with water,” John replied. “But there is someone standing among you that you don’t know, 27 someone who is to come after me. I’m not good enough to undo his sandal-strap.”
28 This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The lamb and the spirit
29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming towards him.
“Look!” he said. “There’s God’s lamb! He’s the one who takes away the world’s sin! 30 He’s the one I was speaking about when I said, ‘There’s a man coming after me who ranks ahead of me, because he was before me!’ 31 I didn’t know who it would be, but this was the reason I came to baptize with water—so that he could be revealed to Israel.”
32 So John gave this evidence: “I saw the spirit coming down like a dove out of heaven and remaining on him. 33 I didn’t know who it would be; but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘When you see the spirit coming down and resting on someone, that’s the person who will baptize with the holy spirit.’ 34 Well, that’s what I saw, and I’ve given you my evidence: he is the son of God.”
The first disciples
35 The following day John was again standing there, with two of his disciples. 36 He saw Jesus walking by, and said, “Look! There goes God’s lamb!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned and saw them following him.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“Rabbi,” they said (the word means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come and see,” he replied.
So they came, and saw where he was staying, and stayed with him that day. It was late in the afternoon.
40 One of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 The first person he found was his own brother Simon.
“We’ve found the Messiah!” he said (that means “the anointed one,” like our word “Christ”). 42 He brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him.
“So,” he said, “you’re Simon, John’s son, are you? We’d better call you Cephas!” (That means “the Rock,” like our word “Peter.”)
Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee, where he found Philip.
“Follow me,” he said to him.
44 Philip came from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter hailed from. 45 Philip found Nathanael.
“We’ve found him!” he said. “The one Moses wrote about in the law! And the prophets, too! We’ve found him! It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth!”
46 “Really?” replied Nathanael. “Are you telling me that something good can come out of Nazareth?”
“Come and see,” replied Philip.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him.
“Here he comes,” he said. “Look at him! He’s a real Israelite. Genuine through and through.”
48 “How did you get to know me?” asked Nathanael.
“Oh,” replied Jesus, “I saw you under the fig tree, before Philip spoke to you.”
49 “Rabbi,” replied Nathanael, “you’re the son of God! You’re the king of Israel!”
50 “Wait a minute,” said Jesus. “Are you telling me that you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You’ll see a lot more than that!
51 “In fact,” he went on, “I’m telling you the solemn truth. You’ll see heaven opened, and God’s angels going up and down upon the son of man.”
John 1
King James Version
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
John 1
Lexham English Bible
The Prologue to John’s Gospel
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 This one was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that[a] has come into being. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity.[b] 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome[c] it.
6 A man came, sent from God, whose name was[d] John. 7 This one came for a witness, in order that he could testify about the light, so that all would believe through him. 8 That one was not the light, but came[e] in order that he could testify about the light. 9 The true light, who gives light to every person, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not recognize[f] him. 11 He came to his own things, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But as many as received him—to those who believe in his name—he gave to them authority to become children of God, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a husband, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about him and cried out, saying, “This one was he about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’” 16 For from his fullness we have all received, and grace after grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the one and only, God, the one who is in the bosom of the Father—that one has made him[g] known.
John the Baptist Testifies to Jesus
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent[h] priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they could ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed—and he did not deny, and confessed—“I am not the Christ!” 21 And they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?”[i] And he answered, “No!” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said,
“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’[j]
just as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24 (And they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 And they asked him and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water. In your midst stands one whom you do not know— 27 the one who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie[k] the strap of his sandal!” 28 These things took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This one is the one about whom I said, ‘After me is coming a man who is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ 31 And I did not know him, but in order that he could be revealed to Israel, because of this I came baptizing with water.”
32 And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him. 33 And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, ‘The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him—this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One[l] of God.
Two of John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
35 On the next day again John was standing there,[m] and two of his disciples, 36 and looking at Jesus as he[n] was walking by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus. 38 And Jesus, turning around and seeing them following him,[o] said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means when[p] translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see!” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day (it was about the tenth hour).
Andrew Declares Jesus to be the Messiah
40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. 41 This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “Christ”). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is interpreted “Peter”).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 On the next day he wanted to depart for Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” 44 (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.) 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets wrote about—Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth!” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see!”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Look! A true Israelite[q] in whom is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “From where do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you[r] were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly I say to all of you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Footnotes
- John 1:3 Or “came into being. What …,” beginning a new sentence connected with the following verse. A major punctuation problem is involved, since the earliest manuscripts have no punctuation, but some important later ones place the punctuation before this phrase, effectively connecting it to v. 4: “What has come into being was life in him”
- John 1:4 Or “humankind”
- John 1:5 Or “comprehend” (if primarily referring to people in the world)
- John 1:6 Literally “the name to him”
- John 1:8 The verb is implied from the previous verse, and must be supplied in the English translation
- John 1:10 Or “acknowledge”
- John 1:18 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 1:19 Some manuscripts have “sent to him”
- John 1:21 A reference to the “Prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15 (see Acts 3:22)
- John 1:23 A quotation from Isa 40:3
- John 1:27 Literally “that I might untie”
- John 1:34 Some manuscripts have “the Son of God”
- John 1:35 *The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied
- John 1:36 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“walking by”) which is understood as temporal
- John 1:38 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 1:38 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“translated”) which is understood as temporal
- John 1:47 Literally “truly an Israelite”
- John 1:48 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were”) which is understood as temporal
John 1
Worldwide English (New Testament)
1 The Word already was, way back before anything began to be. The Word and God were together. The Word was God.
2 Before anything began to be, the Word was there with God.
3 God made everything by the Word. Nothing has been made without him.
4 Life was in the Word. That life was Light for people.
5 The Light shone where it was dark and the darkness did not stop the Light from shining.
6 God sent a man named John.
7 He came to talk about the Light, so that all people might believe in the Light by what he said.
8 He himself was not that Light, but he was sent to talk about the Light.
9 The true Light which gives light to every person who comes into the world.
10 He, the Word, was in the world. Yes, he even made the world. And yet the world did not know him.
11 He came into the world that was his own, but his own people did not receive him.
12 But there were people who did believe in his name. They did receive him. He gave all those who received him and believed him the right to become children of God.
13 They were born into God's family by God. That is, they were not born into his family in the way a person is born into this world. It was not by any person's will.
14 The Word became man and he lived among us. We saw with our own eyes that he is great. He is great the way God the Father made his only Son great. We saw that he is full of loving kindness and truth.
15 John talked about him. He called out saying, `Here is the man I told you about. I said that the one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he lived before I lived.'
16 He was full of loving kindness, and we have all received so much kindness from him.
17 Moses gave the law, but Jesus Christ gave this loving kindness and truth.
18 No one has ever seen God. But his only Son is very near to his Father's heart. He has told us plainly about God.
19 The leaders of the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. They asked John, `Who are you?' John told them.
20 He did not hide the truth, but he told people plainly. He said, `I am not the Christ.'
21 So they asked him, `Well then, are you Elijah?' He answered, `No, I am not.' They asked, `Are you the Prophet?' He answered, `No.'
22 Then those priests said, `Who are you? We want to give an answer to the people who sent us. What do you say about yourself?'
23 John said, `I am a voice calling in the desert, "Make the road straight for the Lord." This is what was said by Isaiah, the prophet of God long ago.'
24 It was the Pharisees who had sent these people to John.
25 So they asked him, `If you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why then are you baptizing?'
26 John answered, `I baptize people in water. But there is a man standing among you whom you do not know.
27 He is the one coming after me who is greater than I am. I am not even good enough to untie his shoe strings.'
28 The place where John was baptizing was Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him. `Look,' said John. `See God's special Lamb! He takes away the wrong ways of the world.
30 Here is the man I told you about. I said that the one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he lived before I lived.
31 I myself did not know who he was. But I came and baptized people in water so that the people of Israel would know who he was.'
32 John also said, `I saw the Spirit coming from the sky. He came down on him like a dove. It stayed on him.
33 I myself did not know who he was. But he who sent me to baptize people in water told me. He said, "You will see the Spirit coming from the sky on a man. That man will baptize people in the Holy Spirit."
34 I saw the Spirit coming on him, and I have told you. This man is the Son of God.'
35 The next day, John was standing with two of his followers.
36 Jesus walked by. When John saw him, he said, `Look, see God's Lamb!'
37 The two followers heard what John said, so they went after Jesus.
38 Jesus turned. He saw them coming after him. He said to them, `What are you looking for?' They said, `Teacher, where do you live?'
39 Jesus said, `Come and see.' They went and saw the place where Jesus was staying. The time was about four o'clock in the afternoon. They stayed with Jesus the rest of the day.
40 Andrew was one of those two followers of John who heard John speak and went after Jesus. He was Simon Peter's brother.
41 The first thing Andrew did then was to find his brother Simon. He said, `We have found the Messiah!' (Messiah means the Christ, the messenger of God.)
42 Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, `You are Simon, the son of John. Your name will be Cephas.' (Cephas means Peter, a rock or stone.)
43 The next day Jesus said, `I will go to Galilee.' He found Philip and said to him, `Come with me.'
44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. Andrew and Peter were also from that town.
45 Philip went to find Nathanael. He said `We have found the man about whom Moses wrote in the books of the law. The prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus, from Nazareth. He is the son of Joseph.'
46 Nathanael said, `From Nazareth? Can any good thing come from there?' Philip said, `Come and see for yourself.'
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him. He said, `Here is a man who is truly of Israel. He does not fool people.'
48 Nathanael asked, `How do you know me?' Jesus answered, `I saw you when you were under the fig tree. That was before Philip called you.'
49 Nathanael said, `Teacher, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.'
50 Jesus answered, `I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. Is that why you believe in me now? You will see more wonderful things than that!
51 I tell you the truth,' said Jesus. `You will see heaven open. You will see God's angels going up and down to the Son of Man.'
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
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