John 1
Living Bible
1 1-2 Before anything else existed,[a] there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. 3 He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. 4 Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. 5 His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.
6-7 God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is the true Light. 8 John himself was not the Light; he was only a witness to identify it.
9 Later on, the one who is the true Light arrived to shine on everyone coming into the world.
10 But although he made the world, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. 11-12 Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him. But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them.[b] 13 All those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth[c] resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God.
14 And Christ[d] became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. And some of us have seen his glory—the glory of the only Son of the heavenly Father!
15 John pointed him out to the people, telling the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming who is greater by far than I am—for he existed long before I did!’” 16 We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—blessing upon blessing heaped upon us! 17 For Moses gave us only the Law with its rigid demands and merciless justice, while Jesus Christ brought us loving forgiveness as well. 18 No one has ever actually seen God, but, of course, his only Son has, for he is the companion of the Father and has told us all about him.
19 The Jewish leaders[e] sent priests and assistant priests from Jerusalem to ask John whether he claimed to be the Messiah.
20 He denied it flatly. “I am not the Christ,” he said.
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet?”[f]
“No.”
22 “Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?”
23 He replied, “I am a voice from the barren wilderness, shouting as Isaiah prophesied, ‘Get ready for the coming of the Lord!’”
24-25 Then those who were sent by the Pharisees asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I merely baptize with[g] water, but right here in the crowd is someone you have never met, 27 who will soon begin his ministry among you, and I am not even fit to be his slave.”
28 This incident took place at Bethany, a village on the other side of the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Soon a man far greater than I am is coming, who existed long before me!’ 31 I didn’t know he was the one, but I am here baptizing with water in order to point him out to the nation of Israel.”
32 Then John told about seeing the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending from heaven and resting upon Jesus.
33 “I didn’t know he was the one,” John said again, “but at the time God sent me to baptize he told me, ‘When you see the Holy Spirit descending and resting upon someone—he is the one you are looking for. He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw it happen to this man, and I therefore testify that he is the Son of God.”
35 The following day as John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 Jesus walked by. John looked at him intently and then declared, “See! There is the Lamb of God!”
37 Then John’s two disciples turned and followed Jesus.
38 Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.
“Sir,” they replied, “where do you live?”
39 “Come and see,” he said. So they went with him to the place where he was staying and were with him from about four o’clock that afternoon until the evening. 40 (One of these men was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.)
41 Andrew then went to find his brother Peter and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” 42 And he brought Peter to meet Jesus.
Jesus looked intently at Peter for a moment and then said, “You are Simon, John’s son—but you shall be called Peter, the rock!”
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Come with me.” 44 (Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.)
45 Philip now went off to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the Messiah!—the very person Moses and the prophets told about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth!”
46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from there?”
“Just come and see for yourself,” Philip declared.
47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Here comes an honest man—a true son of Israel.”
48 “How do you know what I am like?” Nathanael demanded.
And Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”
49 Nathanael replied, “Sir, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe all this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater proofs than this. 51 You will even see heaven open and the angels of God coming back and forth to me, the Messiah.”[h]
Footnotes
- John 1:1 Before anything else existed, literally, “In the beginning.” Christ, literally, “the Word,” meaning Christ, the wisdom and power of God and the first cause of all things; God’s personal expression of himself to men.
- John 1:11 to trust him to save them, literally, “to believe on his name.”
- John 1:13 not a physical rebirth, literally, “not of blood.”
- John 1:14 Christ, literally, “the Word.” loving forgiveness, literally, “grace.” seen his glory, see Matthew 17:2. the only Son of the heavenly Father, literally, “his unique Son.”
- John 1:19 The Jewish leaders, literally, “The Jews.”
- John 1:21 See Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.
- John 1:26 with, or “in.” So also with, or “in” the Holy Spirit in vv. 31 and 33.
- John 1:51 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
約翰福音 1
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition
道成了肉身
1 太初有道，道與 神同在，道就是 神。 2 這道太初與 神同在。 3 萬物都是藉着他造的，沒有一樣不是藉着他造的。凡被造的， 4 在他裏面有生命[a]，這生命就是人的光。 5 光照在黑暗裏，黑暗卻沒有勝過光[b]。
6 有一個人，是從 神那裏差來的，名叫約翰。 7 這人來是為了作見證，是為那光作見證，要使眾人藉着他而信。 8 他不是那光，而是要為那光作見證。 9 那光是真光，來到世上，照亮所有的人[c]。 10 他在世界，世界是藉着他造的，世界卻不認識他。 11 他來到自己的地方，自己的人並不接納他。 12 凡接納他的，就是信他名的人，他就賜他們權柄作 神的兒女。 13 這些人不是從血生的，不是從情慾生的，也不是從人的意願生的，而是從 神生的。
14 道成了肉身，住在我們中間，充充滿滿地有恩典有真理，我們也見過他的榮光，正是父獨一兒子[d]的榮光。 15 約翰為他作見證，喊着說：「這就是我曾說：『那在我以後來的先於我，因為在我以前，他已經存在。』」 16 從他的豐富裏，我們都領受了恩典，而且恩上加恩。 17 律法是藉着摩西頒佈的；恩典和真理卻是由耶穌基督來的。 18 從來沒有人見過 神，只有在父懷裏獨一的兒子將他表明出來。
施洗約翰的見證(A)
19 這是約翰的見證：猶太人從耶路撒冷差祭司和利未人到約翰那裏去問他：「你是誰？」 20 他就承認，並不隱瞞，承認說：「我不是基督。」 21 他們又問他：「那麼，你是誰？是以利亞嗎？」他說：「我不是。」「是那位先知嗎？」他回答：「不是。」 22 於是他們對他說：「你到底是誰，好讓我們回覆差我們來的人。你說，你自己是誰？」 23 他說：
「我就是那在曠野呼喊的聲音：
修直主的道。」
正如以賽亞先知所說的。
24 那些人是法利賽人差來的。 25 他們就問他：「你既不是基督，不是以利亞，也不是那位先知，那麼，你為甚麼施洗呢？」 26 約翰回答：「我是用水施洗，但有一位站在你們中間，是你們不認識的， 27 就是那在我以後來的，我給他解鞋帶也不配。」 28 這些事發生在約旦河東邊的伯大尼[e]，約翰施洗的地方。
神的羔羊
29 第二天，約翰看見耶穌來到他那裏，就說：「看哪， 神的羔羊，除去世人的罪的！ 30 這就是我曾說『那在我以後來的先於我，因為在我以前，他已經存在』的那一位。 31 我先前不認識他，如今我來用水施洗，為要使他顯明給以色列人。」 32 約翰又作見證說：「我曾看見聖靈彷彿鴿子從天降下，停留在他的身上。 33 我先前不認識他，可是那差我來用水施洗的對我說：『你看見聖靈降下來，停留在誰的身上，誰就是用聖靈施洗的。』 34 我看見了，所以作證：這一位是 神的兒子。」
初次選召門徒
35 又過了一天，約翰同兩個門徒站在那裏。 36 他見耶穌走過，就說：「看哪， 神的羔羊！」 37 兩個門徒聽見他的話，就跟從了耶穌。 38 耶穌轉過身來，看見他們跟着，就問他們說：「你們要甚麼？」他們對他說：「拉比，你在哪裏住？」（「拉比」翻出來就是老師。） 39 耶穌說：「你們來看。」他們就去看他在哪裏住。這一天他們就跟他同住；那時大約是下午四點鐘。 40 聽了約翰的話而跟從耶穌的那兩個人，其中一個是西門‧彼得的弟弟安得烈。 41 他先找到自己的哥哥西門，對他說：「我們遇見彌賽亞了。」（「彌賽亞」翻出來就是基督。） 42 於是安得烈領西門去見耶穌。耶穌看着他，說：「你是約翰[f]的兒子西門，你要稱為磯法。」（「磯法」翻出來就是彼得[g]。）
呼召腓力和拿但業
43 又過了一天，耶穌想要往加利利去。他找到腓力，就對他說：「來跟從我！」 44 這腓力是伯賽大人，是安得烈和彼得的同鄉。 45 腓力找到拿但業，對他說：「摩西在律法書上所寫的，和眾先知所記的那一位，我們遇見了，就是約瑟的兒子拿撒勒人耶穌。」 46 拿但業對他說：「拿撒勒還能出甚麼好的嗎？」腓力說：「你來看。」 47 耶穌看見拿但業向他走來，就論到他說：「看哪，這真是個以色列人！他心裏是沒有詭詐的。」 48 拿但業對耶穌說：「你從哪裏認識我的？」耶穌回答他說：「腓力還沒有呼喚你，你在無花果樹底下，我就看見你了。」 49 拿但業回答他：「拉比！你是 神的兒子，你是以色列的王。」 50 耶穌回答他說：「因為我說在無花果樹底下看見你，你就信嗎？你將看見比這些更大的事呢！」 51 他又說：「我實實在在地告訴你們，你們將要看見天開了， 神的使者在人子身上，上去下來。」
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.