John 1
New International Reader's Version
The Word Became a Human Being
1 In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. 4 Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light.
6 There was a man sent from God. His name was John. 7 He came to be a witness about that light. He was a witness so that all people might believe. 8 John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 The Word was in the world. And the world was made through him. But the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him. 12 Some people did accept him and did believe in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. 13 To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.
14 The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.
15 John was a witness about the Word. John cried out and said, “This was the one I was talking about. I said, ‘He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.’ ” 16 God is full of grace. From him we have all received grace in place of the grace already given. 17 In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father’s side. The one at the Father’s side has shown us what God is like.
John the Baptist Says That He Is Not the Messiah
19 The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John spoke the truth to them. 20 He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet we’ve been expecting?” they asked.
“No,” he answered.
22 They asked one last time, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said, “I’m the messenger who is calling out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight.’ ” (Isaiah 40:3)
24 The Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, “If you are not the Messiah, why are you baptizing people? Why are you doing that if you aren’t Elijah or the Prophet we’ve been expecting?”
26 “I baptize people with water,” John replied. “But someone is standing among you whom you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.
What John Says About Jesus
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look! The Lamb of God! He takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about. I said, ‘A man who comes after me is more important than I am. That’s because he existed before I was born.’ 31 I did not know him. But God wants to make it clear to Israel who this person is. That’s the reason I came baptizing with water.”
32 Then John told them, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven like a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus. 33 I myself did not know him. But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and remain on someone. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen it happen. I am a witness that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 He saw Jesus walking by. John said, “Look! The Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this. So they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned around and saw them following. He asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Rabbi means Teacher.
39 “Come,” he replied. “You will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying. They spent the rest of the day with him. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
40 Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew was one of the two disciples who heard what John had said. He had also followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon. He told him, “We have found the Messiah.” Messiah means Christ. 42 And he brought Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.” Cephas means Peter, or Rock.
Jesus Chooses Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. So were Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the Law. The prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Here is what Jesus said about him. “He is a true Israelite. Nothing about him is false.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. I saw you there before Philip called you.”
49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 Then he said to the disciples, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You will see heaven open. You will see the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
Juan 1
Palabra de Dios para Todos
Cristo viene al mundo
1 En el principio, antes de la creación del mundo,
ya existía la Palabra[a],
la Palabra estaba con Dios y era Dios.
2 Estaba ahí con Dios en el comienzo.
3 Todo se hizo por aquel que es la Palabra;
sin él, nada se habría hecho.
4 En él estaba la vida,
y esa vida era la luz de los seres humanos.
5 La Luz[b] brilla en la oscuridad,
y la oscuridad no ha podido contra ella.[c]
6 Hubo un hombre enviado por Dios que se llamaba Juan. 7 Él vino a dar testimonio de la Luz para que todos los seres humanos pudieran creer. 8 Juan no era la Luz; él sólo vino a dar testimonio de la Luz. 9 La Luz verdadera que ilumina a todo ser humano entraba al mundo.
10 El que es la Palabra
ya estaba en el mundo.
Él creó el mundo,
pero el mundo no lo reconoció.
11 Vino al mundo que le pertenecía,
pero su propia gente no lo aceptó.
12 Pero a los que lo aceptaron y creyeron en él,
les dio el derecho[d] de ser hijos de Dios.
13 Son hijos de Dios,
pero no por nacimiento físico;
no tiene que ver con ningún acto
ni deseo humano.
Son hijos suyos
porque Dios así lo quiere.
14 La Palabra se hizo hombre y vivió entre nosotros,
lleno de generoso amor y verdad.
Vimos su esplendor,
ese esplendor que pertenece al Hijo único del Padre.
15 Juan dio testimonio de él diciéndole abiertamente a la gente: «Este es el del que yo les hablaba. Era de él que les decía: “El que va a venir después de mí es más importante que yo, porque existía antes que yo”».
16 Todos hemos participado de su perfección
y recibido generosamente bendición tras bendición.
17 Dios dio la ley por medio de Moisés,
pero el generoso amor y la verdad llegaron
por medio de Jesucristo.
18 Nadie ha visto jamás a Dios,
pero el Hijo único,
quien él mismo es Dios,
nos lo ha dado a conocer.
Él está lo más cercano al Padre.[e]
Juan da testimonio del Mesías
(Mt 3:1-12; Mr 1:2-8; Lc 3:15-17)
19 Este es el testimonio de Juan, dado cuando los judíos de Jerusalén enviaron unos sacerdotes y levitas a Juan y le preguntaron:
—¿Quién eres tú?
20 Juan respondió sin titubear y sin ocultar la verdad:
—Yo no soy el Mesías.
21 También le preguntaron:
—Entonces, ¿quién eres? ¿Eres Elías?
Juan respondió:
—No lo soy.
—¿Eres tú el Profeta[f]?
Él contestó:
—No.
22 Entonces le dijeron:
—¿Quién eres tú? Dínoslo y así podremos llevar alguna respuesta a los que nos enviaron. ¿Qué dices sobre ti mismo?
23 (A)Él dijo:
—Yo soy el que grita en el desierto:
“¡Enderecen el camino para el Señor!”[g],
como dijo el profeta Isaías.
24 Los fariseos habían mandado a esos hombres. 25 Ellos le preguntaron:
—Si tú no eres el Mesías, ni Elías, ni el Profeta, entonces, ¿por qué bautizas?
26 Juan les respondió:
—Yo bautizo con agua, pero entre ustedes hay alguien que no conocen y 27 él viene después de mí. Yo no soy digno de desatarle la correa de sus sandalias.
28 Eso pasó en Betania, al otro lado del Jordán, donde Juan estaba bautizando.
Jesús, el Cordero de Dios
29 Al día siguiente, Juan vio que Jesús venía hacia él y dijo: «Miren, él es el Cordero de Dios que quita el pecado del mundo. 30 A él me refería cuando dije: “Hay un hombre que viene después de mí que es más importante que yo porque existía antes que yo”. 31 Yo mismo no lo conocía, pero vine a bautizar con agua para que así Israel pudiera darse cuenta de quién es él».
32 Entonces Juan dio este testimonio: «Yo vi al Espíritu que bajó del cielo en forma de paloma y se colocó sobre él. 33 Yo no lo conocía, pero Dios que me envió para que bautizara con agua, me dijo: “Tú verás al Espíritu bajar y colocarse sobre el que bautiza con el Espíritu Santo”. 34 Lo he visto y por eso doy testimonio de que este es el Hijo de Dios[h]».
Los primeros seguidores de Jesús
35 Al día siguiente, Juan estaba allí de nuevo con dos de sus seguidores. 36 Cuando vio pasar a Jesús, dijo:
—Miren, este es el Cordero de Dios.
37 Cuando los dos seguidores lo escucharon decir esto, siguieron a Jesús. 38 Jesús se dio la vuelta, vio que lo seguían y les preguntó:
—¿Qué quieren?
Ellos le dijeron:
—Rabí, (que significa: Maestro) ¿dónde te estás quedando?
39 Jesús les contestó:
—Vengan a ver.
Entonces ellos fueron y vieron dónde se estaba quedando y pasaron ese día con él. Eso fue como a las cuatro de la tarde.
40 Andrés, hermano de Simón Pedro, fue uno de los dos que oyó a Juan y siguió a Jesús. 41 Primero buscó a su hermano Simón y le dijo:
—Encontramos al Mesías (que significa: el Rey Elegido por Dios[i]).
42 Andrés llevó a Simón Pedro a donde estaba Jesús. Jesús lo vio y dijo:
—Tú eres Simón hijo de Juan, pero ahora te llamarás Cefas (que significa: Pedro[j]).
43 Al día siguiente, Jesús decidió ir a Galilea. Encontró a Felipe, y le dijo:
—Sígueme.
44 Felipe era de Betsaida, el pueblo de Andrés y de Pedro. 45 Felipe buscó a Natanael, y le dijo:
—Hemos encontrado a aquel sobre el que escribió Moisés en la ley, y los profetas también escribieron acerca de él. Es Jesús de Nazaret, el hijo de José.
46 Natanael le dijo:
—¡De Nazaret! ¿Acaso de allí puede salir algo bueno?
Felipe dijo:
—Ven y lo verás.
47 Jesús vio que Natanael se acercaba, y dijo:
—Este es un verdadero israelita. No hay engaño en él.
48 Natanael le preguntó:
—¿Cómo es que me conoces?
Jesús le respondió:
—Yo te vi cuando estabas debajo de la higuera, antes de que Felipe te invitara a verme.
49 Natanael respondió:
—Maestro, ¡Tú eres el Hijo de Dios, el rey de Israel!
Jesús contestó:
50 —¿Crees eso porque dije que te había visto debajo de la higuera? Pues verás cosas más grandes que estas.
51 (B)Luego le dijo:
—Les digo la verdad: ustedes verán el cielo abierto y “los ángeles de Dios bajando y subiendo”[k] sobre el Hijo del hombre.
Footnotes
- 1:1 Palabra Es la traducción de la palabra griega logos, que hace referencia a cualquier clase de comunicación. Aquí se refiere a Jesucristo, a través del cual Dios se da a conocer al mundo.
- 1:5 Luz Se refiere a Jesucristo.
- 1:5 contra ella o entenderla.
- 1:12 derecho o poder.
- 1:18 el Hijo […] al Padre o el [Hijo] único, Dios, que está muy cerca al Padre, nos lo dio a conocer. Algunos otros manuscritos dicen: El Hijo único está muy cercano al Padre y nos lo dio a conocer.
- 1:21 Profeta Probablemente se refiere al profeta que Dios le dijo a Moisés que iba a enviar. Ver Dt 18:15-19.
- 1:23 Cita de Is 40:3.
- 1:34 el Hijo de Dios Algunos manuscritos antiguos tienen el Elegido de Dios.
- 1:41 el Rey Elegido por Dios Textualmente el Cristo.
- 1:42 Pedro El nombre griego Pedro, así como el arameo Cefas, significa roca.
- 1:51 Cita de Gn 28:12.
约翰福音 1
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
道成肉身
1 太初有道，道与 神同在，道就是 神。 2 这道太初与 神同在。 3 万有是借着他造的；凡被造的，没有一样不是借着他造的。 4 在他里面有生命，（有些抄本第3、4节或译：“万有是借着他造的，没有一样不是借着他造的；凡被造的，都在他里面有生命……”）这生命就是人的光。 5 光照在黑暗中，黑暗不能胜过光。
6 有一个人，名叫约翰，是 神所差来的。 7 他来是要作见证，就是为光作见证，使众人借着他可以相信。 8 他不是那光，而是要为那光作见证。 9 那光来到世界，是普照世人的真光。 10 他在世界，世界也是借着他造的，世界却不认识他。 11 他到自己的地方来，自己的人却不接受他。 12 凡接受他的，就是信他名的人，他就赐给他们权利，成为 神的儿女。 13 他们不是从血统生的，不是从肉身的意思生的，也不是从人意生的，而是从 神生的。
14 道成了肉身，住在我们中间，满有恩典和真理。我们见过他的荣光，正是从父而来的独生子的荣光。
15 约翰为他作见证，大声说：“这一位就是我所说的：‘那在我以后来的，位分比我高，因为他本来是在我以前的。’” 16 从他的丰盛里我们都领受了，而且恩上加恩。 17 律法是借着摩西颁布的，恩典和真理却是借着耶稣基督而来的。 18 从来没有人见过 神，只有在父怀里的独生子把他彰显出来。
施洗约翰的见证(A)
19 以下是约翰的见证：犹太人从耶路撒冷派祭司和利未人到约翰那里，问他：“你是谁？” 20 约翰并不否认，坦白地承认说：“我不是基督。” 21 他们又问：“那么你是谁？是以利亚吗？”他说：“我不是。”“是那位先知吗？”他回答：“不是。” 22 于是他们再问：“你是谁？好让我们回复派我们来的人。你说你自己是谁？” 23 他说：“我就是在旷野呼喊者的声音：‘修直主的路！’正如以赛亚先知所说的。” 24 这些人是法利赛人派来的。 25 他们问约翰：“你既然不是基督，不是以利亚，也不是那位先知，那么你为甚么施洗呢？” 26 约翰回答：“我是用水施洗，但有一位站在你们中间，是你们不认识的； 27 他是在我以后来的，我就是给他解鞋带也不配。” 28 这些事发生在约旦河东的伯大尼，约翰施洗的地方。
神的羊羔
29 第二天，约翰见耶稣迎面而来，就说：“看哪， 神的羊羔，是除去世人的罪孽的！ 30 这一位就是我所说的：‘有一个人，是在我以后来的，位分比我高，因为他本来是在我以前的。’ 31 我本来不认识他，但为了要把他显明给以色列人，因此我来用水施洗。” 32 约翰又作见证说：“我曾看见圣灵，好象鸽子从天上降下来，停留在他的身上。 33 我本来不认识他，但那差我来用水施洗的对我说：‘你看见圣灵降下来，停留在谁身上，谁就是用圣灵施洗的。’ 34 我看见了，就作见证说：‘这就是 神的儿子。’”
呼召第一批门徒(B)
35 过了一天，约翰和他的两个门徒又站在那里。 36 约翰看见耶稣走过的时候，就说：“看哪， 神的羊羔！” 37 那两个门徒听见他的话，就跟从了耶稣。 38 耶稣转过身来，看见他们跟着，就问：“你们要甚么？”他们说：“拉比，你在哪里住？”（“拉比”的意思就是“老师”。） 39 他说：“你们来看吧！”于是他们就去看他所住的地方。那一天他们就和耶稣住在一起；那时大约是下午四点钟。 40 听了约翰的话而跟从耶稣的那两个人，一个是西门．彼得的弟弟安得烈。 41 他先找到自己的哥哥西门，告诉他：“我们遇见弥赛亚了！”（“弥赛亚”的意思就是“基督”。） 42 安得烈就带他到耶稣那里。耶稣定睛看着他，说：“你是约翰的儿子西门，你要称为矶法。”（“矶法”翻译出来就是“彼得”。）
呼召腓力和拿但业
43 再过一天，耶稣决定往加利利去；他遇见腓力，就对他说：“来跟从我！” 44 腓力是伯赛大人，与安得烈和彼得同乡。 45 腓力找到拿但业，告诉他：“摩西在律法书上所写的，和众先知所记的那位，我们已经遇见了，他就是约瑟的儿子拿撒勒人耶稣。” 46 拿但业说：“拿撒勒还能出甚么好的吗？”腓力说：“你来看！” 47 耶稣看见拿但业向他走过来，就论到他说：“看哪，这的确是个以色列人，他心里没有诡诈。” 48 拿但业问他：“你怎么认识我呢？”耶稣回答：“腓力还没有招呼你，你在无花果树下的时候，我就看见你了。” 49 拿但业说：“拉比，你是 神的儿子，你是以色列的王！” 50 耶稣说：“因为我告诉你‘我看见你在无花果树下’，你就信了吗？你还要看见比这些更大的事。” 51 又对他说：“我实实在在告诉你们，你们要看见天开了， 神的众使者在人子的身上，上去下来。”
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
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.
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