John 1
J.B. Phillips New Testament
Prologue
1 1-5 At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, was with God, and was God, and he existed with God from the beginning. All creation took place through him, and none took place without him. In him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind. The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
The gospel’s beginning on earth
6-8 A man called John was sent by God as a witness to the light, so that any man who heard his testimony might believe in the light. This man was not himself the light: he was sent simply as a personal witness to that light.
9-13 That was the true light which shines upon every man as he comes into the world. He came into the world—the world he had created—and the world failed to recognise him. He came into his own creation, and his own people would not accept him. Yet wherever men did accept him he gave them the power to become sons of God. These were the men who truly believed in him, and their birth depended not on the course of nature nor on any impulse or plan of man, but on God.
14-18 So the word of God became a human being and lived among us. We saw his splendour (the splendour as of a father’s only son), full of grace and truth. And it was about him that John stood up and testified, exclaiming: “Here is the one I was speaking about when I said that although he would come after me he would always be in front of me; for he existed before I was born!” Indeed, every one of us has shared in his riches—there is a grace in our lives because of his grace. For while the Law was given by Moses, love and truth came through Jesus Christ. It is true that no one has ever seen God at any time. Yet the divine and only Son, who lives in the closest intimacy with the Father, has made him known.
John’s witness
19-20 This then is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He admitted with complete candour, “I am not Christ.”
21 So they asked him, “Who are you then? Are you Elijah?” “No, I am not,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he replied.
22 “Well, then,” they asked again, “who are you? We want to give an answer to the people who sent us. What would you call yourself?”
23 “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24-25 Now some of the Pharisees had been sent to John, and they questioned him, “What is the reason, then, for your baptising people if you are not Christ and not Elijah and not the Prophet?”
26-28 To which John returned, “I do baptise—with water. But somewhere among you stands a man you do not know. He comes after me, it is true, but I am not fit to undo his shoes!” (All this happened in the Bethany on the far side of the Jordan where the baptisms of John took place.)
29-31 On the following day, John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Look, there is the lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world! This is the man I meant when I said, ‘A man comes after me who is always in front of me, for he existed before I was born!’ It is true I have not known him, yet it was to make him known to the people of Israel that I came and baptised people with water.”
32-34 Then John gave this testimony, “I have seen the Spirit come down like a dove from Heaven and rest upon him. Indeed, it is true that I did not recognise him by myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water told me this: ‘The one on whom you will see the Spirit coming down and resting is the man who baptises with the Holy Spirit!’ Now I have seen this happen and I declare publicly before you all that he is the Son of God!”
Men begin to follow Jesus
35-36 On the following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. He looked straight at Jesus as he walked along, and said, “There is the lamb of God!”
37-38 The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned round and when he saw them following him, spoke to them. “What do you want?” he said. “Master, where are you staying?” they replied.
39-41 “Come and see,” returned Jesus. So they went and saw where he was staying and remained with him the rest of that day. (It was then about four o’clock in the afternoon.) One of the two men who had heard what John said and had followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He went straight off and found his own brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” (meaning, of course, Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked steadily at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. From now on your name is Cephas”—(that is, Peter, meaning “a rock”).
43-45 The following day Jesus decided to go into Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me!” Philip was a man from Bethsaida, the town that Andrew and Peter came from. Now Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have discovered the man whom Moses wrote about in the Law and about whom the Prophets wrote too. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph and comes from Nazareth.”
46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” retorted Nathanael. “You come and see,” replied Philip.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and remarked, “Now here is a true man of Israel; there is no deceit in him!”
48 “How can you know me?” returned Nathanael. “When you were underneath that fig-tree,” replied Jesus, “before Philip called you, I saw you.”
49 At which Nathanael exclaimed, “Master, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel!”
50-51 “Do you believe in me,” replied Jesus, “because I said I had seen you underneath that fig-tree? You are going to see something greater than that! Believe me,” he added, “I tell you all that you will see Heaven wide open and God’s angels ascending and descending around the Son of Man!”
John 1
Wycliffe Bible
1 In the beginning was the word, and the word was at God, and God was the word. [In the beginning was the word, that is, God's Son, and the word was at God, and God was the word.]
2 This was in the beginning at God.
3 All things were made by him, and without him was made nothing [nought], that thing that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men;
5 and the light shineth in darknesses, and [the] darknesses comprehended not it.
6 A man was sent from God, to whom the name was John.
7 This man came into witnessing, that he should bear witnessing of the light, that all men should believe by him.
8 He was not that light, but that he should bear witnessing of the light.
9 There was a very light, which lighteneth each man that cometh into this world [that lighteth each man coming into this world].
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came into his own things, and his received him not.
12 But how many ever received him, he gave to them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name;
13 the which not of bloods [which not of bloods], neither of the will of flesh, neither of the will of man, but be born of God.
14 And the word was made man, and dwelled among us, and we have seen the glory of him, as the glory of the one begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and of truth. [And the word, that is, God's Son, is made flesh, or man, and hath dwelled in us, and we have seen the glory of him, the glory as of the one begotten of the Father, the Son full of grace and truth.]
15 John beareth witnessing of him, and crieth, and saith, This is he of whom I said, He that shall come after me, is made before me [saying, This it was, whom I said, He that cometh after me, is made before me], for he was before me;
16 and of the plenty of him we all have taken, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses; but grace and truth is made by Jesus Christ.
18 No man saw ever God [No man ever saw God], but the one begotten Son, that is in the bosom of the Father, he hath told out.
19 And this is the witnessing of John, when Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and deacons to him, that they should ask him, Who art thou?
20 [And] He acknowledged, and denied not, and he acknowledged, For I am not Christ.
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou a prophet [Art thou the prophet]? And he answered, Nay.
22 Therefore they said to him, Who art thou? That we give an answer to these that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am a voice of a crier in desert [I am a voice of a man crying in desert], Dress ye the way of the Lord, as Esaias, the prophet, said.
24 And they that were sent, were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said to him, What then baptizest thou, if thou art not Christ, neither Elias, neither a prophet?
26 John answered to them, and said [saying], I baptize in water, but in the middle of you hath stand one, that ye know not [whom ye know not];
27 he it is, that shall come after me [he it is, that is to coming after me], that was made before me, of whom I am not worthy to loose the thong of his shoe.
28 These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 Another day John saw Jesus coming to him, and he said, Lo! the lamb of God; lo! he that doeth away the sins of the world.[a]
30 This is he, that I said of, After me is come a man [This is he, of whom I said, After me cometh a man], which was made before me; for he was rather than I.
31 And I knew him not, but that he be showed in Israel, therefore I came baptizing in water.
32 And John bare witnessing, and said, I saw the Spirit coming down as a culver from heaven, and dwelled on him. [And John bare witnessing, saying, For I saw the Spirit coming down, as a culver from heaven, and dwelling upon him.]
33 And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize in water, said to me, On whom thou seest the Spirit coming down [Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit coming down], and dwelling on him, this is he, that baptizeth in the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare witnessing, that this is the Son of God.
35 Another day John stood [Again John stood in another day], and two of his disciples;
36 and he beheld Jesus walking, and saith [and he beholding Jesus walking, saith], Lo! the lamb of God.
37 And two disciples heard him speaking, and [they] followed Jesus.
38 And Jesus turned, and saw them following him, and saith to them, What seek ye? And they said to him, Rabbi, that is to say [that is interpreted], Master, where dwellest thou?
39 And he saith to them, Come ye, and see. And they came, and saw where he dwelled [He saith to them, Come, and see ye. They came, and saw where he dwelt]; and dwelt with him that day. And it was as the tenth hour.
40 And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the twain, that heard of John, and had followed him.
41 This found first his brother Simon, and he said to him, We have found Messias, that is to say, Christ; [This found first his brother Simon, and he saith to him, We have found Messias, that is interpreted Christ;]
42 and he led him to Jesus. And Jesus beheld him, and said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas, that is to say [that is interpreted], Peter.
43 And on the morrow he would go out into Galilee, and he found Philip; and he saith to him [and Jesus saith to him], Follow thou me.
44 Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and of Peter [the city of Andrew and Peter].
45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him [and he saith to him], We have found Jesus, the son of Joseph, of Nazareth, whom Moses wrote in the law and the prophets.
46 And Nathanael said to him, Of Nazareth may some good thing be? Philip said to him [Philip saith to him], Come, and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him [and saith of him], Lo! verily a man of Israel, in whom is no guile.
48 Nathanael said to him [Nathanael saith to him], Whereof hast thou known me? Jesus answered, and said to him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou were under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered to him, and said [and saith], Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art king of Israel.
50 Jesus answered, and said to him, For I said to thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest; thou shalt see more than these things [thou shalt see more things than these].
51 And he said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending up and coming down on man's Son [and the angels of God ascending up and coming down upon man's Son].
Footnotes
- John 1:29 And another day John saw Jesus coming to him, and he saith, Lo! the lamb of God; lo! which doeth away the sins of the world.
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
2001 by Terence P. Noble