John 1
Amplified Bible
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and [b]the Word was God Himself.(A) 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the [c]darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].(B)
The Witness of John the Baptist
6 There came a man commissioned and sent from God, whose name was [d]John.(C) 7 This man came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe [in Christ, the Light] through him. 8 John was not the Light, but came to testify about the Light.
9 There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.(D) 10 He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. 12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—(E) 13 who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].
The Word Made Flesh
14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).(F) 15 John testified [repeatedly] about Him and [e]has cried out [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [f]has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’” 16 For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. 17 For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ.(G) 18 No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].(H)
The Testimony of John
19 This is the testimony of John [the Baptist] when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed [truthfully] and did not deny [that he was only a man], but acknowledged, “I am not the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!” 21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the [promised] Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”(I) 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”(J)
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize [only] [g]in water, but among you there stands One whom you do not recognize and of whom you know nothing.(K) 27 It is He [the preeminent One] who comes after me, the [h]strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie [even as His slave].” 28 These things occurred in Bethany across the Jordan [at the Jordan River crossing], where John was baptizing.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God [i]who takes away the sin of the world!(L) 30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’ 31 [j]I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah]; but I came baptizing [k]in water so that He would be [publicly] revealed to Israel.” 32 John gave [further] evidence [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], saying, “I have seen the [l]Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.(M) 33 I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah], but He who sent me to baptize [m]in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this One is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have [actually] seen [that happen], and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!”
Jesus’ Public Ministry, First Converts
35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they [n]followed Jesus. 38 And Jesus turned and saw them following Him, and asked them, “What do you want?” They answered Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went [with Him] and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the [o]tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard what John said and [as a result] followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first looked for and found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the [p]Messiah” (which translated means the Christ). 42 Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated [q]Peter).”
43 The next day Jesus decided to go into Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher, and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about—Jesus from Nazareth, the son of Joseph [according to public record].” 46 Nathanael answered him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor duplicity!” 48 Nathanael said to Jesus, “How do You know [these things about] me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered, “Rabbi (Teacher), You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus replied, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe [in Me]? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then He said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man [the bridge between heaven and earth].”(N)
Footnotes
- John 1:1 In John the Apostle’s vision (Rev 19), he sees Christ returning as Warrior-Messiah-King, and “...His name is called The Word of God...and LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:13, 16).
- John 1:1 In this phrase, “God” appears first in the Greek word order, emphasizing the fact that “the Word” (Christ) was God—so “God Himself.”
- John 1:5 I.e. the world immersed in sin: all that stands in opposition to God and biblical truth.
- John 1:6 The births of both John the Baptist and Jesus were foretold by the angel, Gabriel (Luke 1:5-80). This passage is about John the Baptist, the son of Zacharias the priest and his wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was related to Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:36). John the Baptist is considered to be the last of the OT prophets, and is not to be confused with John the Apostle who wrote this Gospel, three brief letters (1 John, 2 John, 3 John) and Revelation.
- John 1:15 Here John the writer uses the Greek perfect tense (“has cried out”), emphasizing the truth and continuing importance of John the Baptist’s testimony.
- John 1:15 Lit has become before (in front of) me, because He was first of me. The Greek is difficult because John the Baptist was making a word-play on the adverbs/adjective “after” (or “behind”), “before,” and “first.” The playful wording assumes the form of a riddle which, like some of Jesus’ parables, conceals the speaker’s meaning from those who are hostile toward him and have neither the patience nor the spiritual inclination to learn from him.
- John 1:26 The Greek here can be translated in, with or by.
- John 1:27 During this era it was customary for a household servant to remove a guest’s sandals and wash the dust from his feet. John is saying that he is not worthy even to remove Christ’s sandal, let alone to touch His feet.
- John 1:29 John is referring to the fulfillment of the need for the OT Passover lambs which was now fulfilled in Christ’s sacrifice, the ultimate and final sacrifice for sins.
- John 1:31 John the Baptist and Jesus were related through their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary, but He was unknown as the Messiah until God revealed it to John at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
- John 1:31 The Greek here can be translated in, with or by.
- John 1:32 The descent of the Holy Spirit identified Jesus in His humanity for His ministry as the Messiah.
- John 1:33 The Greek here can be translated in, with or by.
- John 1:37 The concept of “follow” can represent three separate possibilities: in the early stages of His ministry (1) walking with Him physically (literally), that is merely being in His presence regardless of personal belief or commitment; (2) accepting and identifying with the salvation He offered; and later on (3) being identified with Him by being subject to the scorn and rejection of unbelievers because of personal belief and commitment to Him.
- John 1:39 The Romans reckoned time from midnight, so in Roman time the tenth hour would be 10:00 a.m. The Jews reckoned daytime from sunrise (about 6:00 a.m.), so in their system the tenth hour would be 4:00 p.m. Here, either time is possible, though the Roman reckoning may be more likely because if it were 4:00 p.m. the disciples might have felt compelled to go home before evening set in.
- John 1:41 The words “Messiah” and “Christ” are not personal names, but titles derived respectively from Hebrew and Greek verbs meaning “to anoint.”
- John 1:42 I.e. rock or stone in Greek.
Juan 1
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Introducción (1,1-51)
Prólogo teológico
1 En el principio ya existía la Palabra;
y la Palabra estaba junto a Dios y era Dios.
2 Ya en el principio estaba junto a Dios.
3 Todo fue hecho por medio de ella
y nada se hizo sin contar con ella.
Cuanto fue hecho 4 era ya vida en ella,
y esa vida era luz para la humanidad;
5 luz que resplandece en las tinieblas
y que las tinieblas no han podido sofocar.
6 Vino un hombre llamado Juan, enviado por Dios. 7 Vino como testigo, para dar testimonio de la luz, a fin de que todos creyeran por medio de él. 8 No era él la luz, sino testigo de la luz. 9 La verdadera luz, la que ilumina a toda la humanidad, estaba llegando al mundo.
10 En el mundo estaba [la Palabra]
y, aunque el mundo fue hecho por medio de ella,
el mundo no la reconoció.
11 Vino a los suyos
y los suyos no la recibieron;
12 pero a cuantos la recibieron y creyeron en ella,
les concedió el llegar a ser hijos de Dios.
13 Estos son los que nacen no por generación natural,
por impulso pasional o porque el ser humano lo desee,
sino que tienen por Padre a Dios.
14 Y la Palabra se encarnó
y habitó entre nosotros;
y vimos su gloria, la que le corresponde
como Hijo único del Padre,
lleno de gracia y de verdad.
15 Juan dio testimonio de él proclamando: “Este es aquel de quien yo dije: el que viene después de mí es superior a mí porque existía antes que yo”.
16 En efecto, de su plenitud
todos hemos recibido bendición tras bendición.
17 Porque la ley fue dada por medio de Moisés,
pero la gracia y la verdad
nos vinieron por medio de Jesucristo.
18 A Dios nadie lo vio jamás;
el Hijo único, que es Dios
y vive en íntima unión con el Padre,
nos lo ha dado a conocer.
Testimonio de Juan el Bautista
19 Los judíos de Jerusalén enviaron una comisión de sacerdotes y levitas para preguntar a Juan quién era él. Y este fue su testimonio, 20 un testimonio tajante y sin reservas:
— Yo no soy el Mesías.
21 Ellos le preguntaron:
— Entonces, ¿qué? ¿Eres acaso Elías?
Juan respondió:
— Tampoco soy Elías.
— ¿Eres, entonces, el profeta que esperamos?
Contestó:
— No.
22 Ellos le insistieron:
— Pues, ¿quién eres? Debemos dar una respuesta a los que nos han enviado. Dinos algo sobre ti.
23 Juan, aplicándose las palabras del profeta Isaías, contestó:
— Yo soy la voz del que proclama en el desierto: “¡ Allanen el camino del Señor!”.
24 Los miembros de la comisión, que eran fariseos, 25 lo interpelaron diciendo:
— Si tú no eres el Mesías, ni Elías, ni el profeta esperado, ¿qué títulos tienes para bautizar?
26 Juan les respondió:
— Yo bautizo con agua, pero en medio de ustedes hay uno a quien ustedes no conocen; 27 uno que viene después de mí, aunque yo ni siquiera soy digno de desatar la correa de su calzado.
28 Esto ocurrió en Betania, al otro lado del Jordán, donde Juan estaba bautizando.
Jesús, Cordero de Dios
29 Al día siguiente, Juan vio a Jesús que se acercaba a él, y dijo:
— Ahí tienen ustedes al Cordero de Dios que quita el pecado del mundo. 30 A él me refería yo cuando dije: “Después de mí viene uno que es superior a mí, porque él ya existía antes que yo”. 31 Ni yo mismo sabía quién era, pero Dios me encomendó bautizar con agua precisamente para que él tenga ocasión de darse a conocer a Israel.
32 Y Juan prosiguió su testimonio diciendo:
— He visto que el Espíritu bajaba del cielo como una paloma y permanecía sobre él. 33 Ni yo mismo sabía quién era, pero el que me envió a bautizar con agua me dijo: “Aquel sobre quien veas que baja el Espíritu y permanece sobre él, ese es quien ha de bautizar con Espíritu Santo”. 34 Y, puesto que yo lo he visto, testifico que este es el Hijo de Dios.
Los primeros discípulos
35 Al día siguiente, de nuevo estaba Juan con dos de sus discípulos 36 y, al ver a Jesús que pasaba por allí, dijo:
— Ahí tienen al Cordero de Dios.
37 Los dos discípulos, que se lo oyeron decir, fueron en pos de Jesús, 38 quien al ver que lo seguían, les preguntó:
— ¿Qué buscan?
Ellos contestaron:
— Rabí (que significa “Maestro”), ¿dónde vives?
Él les respondió:
39 — Vengan a verlo.
Se fueron, pues, con él, vieron dónde vivía y pasaron con él el resto de aquel día. Eran como las cuatro de la tarde.
40 Uno de los dos que habían escuchado a Juan y habían seguido a Jesús era Andrés, el hermano de Simón Pedro. 41 Lo primero que hizo Andrés fue ir en busca de su hermano Simón para decirle:
— Hemos hallado al Mesías (palabra que quiere decir “Cristo”).
42 Y se lo presentó a Jesús, quien, fijando en él la mirada, le dijo:
— Tú eres Simón, hijo de Juan; en adelante te llamarás Cefas (es decir, Pedro).
Felipe y Natanael
43 Al día siguiente, Jesús decidió partir para Galilea. Encontró a Felipe y le dijo:
— Sígueme.
44 Felipe, que era de Betsaida, el pueblo de Andrés y Pedro, 45 se encontró con Natanael y le dijo:
— Hemos hallado a aquel de quien escribió Moisés en el Libro de la Ley y del que hablaron también los profetas: Jesús, hijo de José y natural de Nazaret.
46 Natanael exclamó:
¿Es que puede salir algo bueno de Nazaret?
Felipe le contestó:
— Ven y verás.
47 Al ver Jesús que Natanael venía a su encuentro, comentó:
— Ahí tienen ustedes a un verdadero israelita en quien no cabe falsedad.
48 Natanael le preguntó:
— ¿De qué me conoces?
Jesús respondió:
— Antes que Felipe te llamara, ya te había visto yo cuando estabas debajo de la higuera.
49 Natanael exclamó:
— Maestro, tú eres el Hijo de Dios, tú eres el rey de Israel.
50 Jesús le dijo:
— ¿Te basta para creer el haberte dicho que te vi debajo de la higuera? ¡Cosas mucho más grandes has de ver!
51 Y añadió:
— Les aseguro que verán cómo se abren los cielos y los ángeles de Dios suben y bajan sobre el Hijo del hombre.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España