The Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word,(A) and the Word was with God,(B) and the Word was God.(C) He was with God in the beginning.(D) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.(E) In him was life,(F) and that life was the light(G) of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness,(H) and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.(I)

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.(J) He came as a witness to testify(K) concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.(L) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light(M) that gives light to everyone(N) was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,(O) the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.(P) 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed(Q) in his name,(R) he gave the right to become children of God(S) 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.(T)

14 The Word became flesh(U) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,(V) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace(W) and truth.(X)

15 (John testified(Y) concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)(Z) 16 Out of his fullness(AA) we have all received grace(AB) in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses;(AC) grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.(AD) 18 No one has ever seen God,(AE) but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b](AF) is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19 Now this was John’s(AG) testimony when the Jewish leaders[c](AH) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”(AI)

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”(AJ)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”(AK)

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(AL) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[d](AM)

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[e] water,”(AN) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me,(AO) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”(AP)

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,(AQ) where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,(AR) who takes away the sin of the world!(AS) 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’(AT) 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.(AU) 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water(AV) told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’(AW) 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[f](AX)

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus(AY)

35 The next day John(AZ) was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”(BA)

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”(BB) (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).(BC) 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called(BD) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[g]).(BE)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,(BF) he said to him, “Follow me.”(BG)

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.(BH) 45 Philip found Nathanael(BI) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,(BJ) and about whom the prophets also wrote(BK)—Jesus of Nazareth,(BL) the son of Joseph.”(BM)

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”(BN) Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite(BO) in whom there is no deceit.”(BP)

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi,(BQ) you are the Son of God;(BR) you are the king of Israel.”(BS)

50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open,(BT) and the angels of God ascending and descending(BU) on’[k] the Son of Man.”(BV)

Footnotes

  1. John 1:5 Or understood
  2. John 1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who
  3. John 1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
  4. John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
  5. John 1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)
  6. John 1:34 See Isaiah 42:1; many manuscripts is the Son of God.
  7. John 1:42 Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.
  8. John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?
  9. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  10. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  11. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

The Helper of Israel

41 “Be silent(A) before me, you islands!(B)
    Let the nations renew their strength!(C)
Let them come forward(D) and speak;
    let us meet together(E) at the place of judgment.

“Who has stirred(F) up one from the east,(G)
    calling him in righteousness(H) to his service[a]?(I)
He hands nations over to him
    and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(J) with his sword,
    to windblown chaff(K) with his bow.(L)
He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(M)
    by a path his feet have not traveled before.
Who has done this and carried it through,
    calling(N) forth the generations from the beginning?(O)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
    and with the last(P)—I am he.(Q)

The islands(R) have seen it and fear;
    the ends of the earth(S) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
    they help each other
    and say to their companions, “Be strong!(T)
The metalworker(U) encourages the goldsmith,(V)
    and the one who smooths with the hammer
    spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
    The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.(W)

“But you, Israel, my servant,(X)
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,(Y)
    you descendants of Abraham(Z) my friend,(AA)
I took you from the ends of the earth,(AB)
    from its farthest corners I called(AC) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(AD)
    I have chosen(AE) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(AF) for I am with you;(AG)
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(AH) you and help(AI) you;
    I will uphold you(AJ) with my righteous right hand.(AK)

11 “All who rage(AL) against you
    will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(AM)
those who oppose(AN) you
    will be as nothing and perish.(AO)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
    you will not find them.(AP)
Those who wage war against you
    will be as nothing(AQ) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand(AR)
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help(AS) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(AT) you worm(AU) Jacob,
    little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(AV) you,” declares the Lord,
    your Redeemer,(AW) the Holy One(AX) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(AY)
    new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(AZ) and crush them,
    and reduce the hills to chaff.(BA)
16 You will winnow(BB) them, the wind will pick them up,
    and a gale(BC) will blow them away.(BD)
But you will rejoice(BE) in the Lord
    and glory(BF) in the Holy One(BG) of Israel.

17 “The poor and needy search for water,(BH)
    but there is none;
    their tongues are parched with thirst.(BI)
But I the Lord will answer(BJ) them;
    I, the God of Israel, will not forsake(BK) them.
18 I will make rivers flow(BL) on barren heights,
    and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert(BM) into pools of water,(BN)
    and the parched ground into springs.(BO)
19 I will put in the desert(BP)
    the cedar and the acacia,(BQ) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers(BR) in the wasteland,
    the fir and the cypress(BS) together,(BT)
20 so that people may see and know,(BU)
    may consider and understand,(BV)
that the hand(BW) of the Lord has done this,
    that the Holy One(BX) of Israel has created(BY) it.

21 “Present your case,(BZ)” says the Lord.
    “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.(CA)
22 “Tell us, you idols,
    what is going to happen.(CB)
Tell us what the former things(CC) were,
    so that we may consider them
    and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,(CD)
23     tell us what the future holds,
    so we may know(CE) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,(CF)
    so that we will be dismayed(CG) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing(CH)
    and your works are utterly worthless;(CI)
    whoever chooses you is detestable.(CJ)

25 “I have stirred(CK) up one from the north,(CL) and he comes—
    one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads(CM) on rulers as if they were mortar,
    as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,(CN) so we could know,
    or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
    no one foretold(CO) it,
    no one heard any words(CP) from you.
27 I was the first to tell(CQ) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
    I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.(CR)
28 I look but there is no one(CS)
    no one among the gods to give counsel,(CT)
    no one to give answer(CU) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
    Their deeds amount to nothing;(CV)
    their images(CW) are but wind(CX) and confusion.

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant,(CY) whom I uphold,
    my chosen one(CZ) in whom I delight;(DA)
I will put my Spirit(DB) on him,
    and he will bring justice(DC) to the nations.(DD)
He will not shout or cry out,(DE)
    or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed(DF) he will not break,(DG)
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(DH)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(DI)
    he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(DJ) on earth.
    In his teaching(DK) the islands(DL) will put their hope.”(DM)

This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(DN) who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth(DO) with all that springs from it,(DP)
    who gives breath(DQ) to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called(DR) you in righteousness;(DS)
    I will take hold of your hand.(DT)
I will keep(DU) you and will make you
    to be a covenant(DV) for the people
    and a light(DW) for the Gentiles,(DX)
to open eyes that are blind,(DY)
    to free(DZ) captives from prison(EA)
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(EB)

“I am the Lord;(EC) that is my name!(ED)
    I will not yield my glory to another(EE)
    or my praise to idols.(EF)
See, the former things(EG) have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce(EH) them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Sing(EI) to the Lord a new song,(EJ)
    his praise(EK) from the ends of the earth,(EL)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(EM)
    you islands,(EN) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(EO) and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar(EP) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(EQ) sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.(ER)
12 Let them give glory(ES) to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise(ET) in the islands.(EU)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(EV)
    like a warrior(EW) he will stir up his zeal;(EX)
with a shout(EY) he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.(EZ)

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(FA)
    I have been quiet and held myself back.(FB)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.(FC)
15 I will lay waste(FD) the mountains(FE) and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up(FF) the pools.
16 I will lead(FG) the blind(FH) by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(FI) before them
    and make the rough places smooth.(FJ)
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake(FK) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(FL)
    will be turned back in utter shame.(FM)

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;(FN)
    look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(FO) but my servant,(FP)
    and deaf like the messenger(FQ) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(FR) with me,
    blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
    your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(FS)
21 It pleased the Lord
    for the sake(FT) of his righteousness
    to make his law(FU) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(FV) and looted,
    all of them trapped in pits(FW)
    or hidden away in prisons.(FX)
They have become plunder,
    with no one to rescue them;(FY)
they have been made loot,
    with no one to say, “Send them back.”

23 Which of you will listen to this
    or pay close attention(FZ) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
    and Israel to the plunderers?(GA)
Was it not the Lord,(GB)
    against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(GC) his ways;
    they did not obey his law.(GD)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(GE)
    the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(GF) yet they did not understand;(GG)
    it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(GH)

Israel’s Only Savior

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created(GI) you, Jacob,
    he who formed(GJ) you, Israel:(GK)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(GL) you;
    I have summoned you by name;(GM) you are mine.(GN)
When you pass through the waters,(GO)
    I will be with you;(GP)
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(GQ)
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.(GR)
For I am the Lord your God,(GS)
    the Holy One(GT) of Israel, your Savior;(GU)
I give Egypt(GV) for your ransom,
    Cush[b](GW) and Seba(GX) in your stead.(GY)
Since you are precious and honored(GZ) in my sight,
    and because I love(HA) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid,(HB) for I am with you;(HC)
    I will bring your children(HD) from the east
    and gather(HE) you from the west.(HF)
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south,(HG) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters(HH) from the ends of the earth(HI)
everyone who is called by my name,(HJ)
    whom I created(HK) for my glory,(HL)
    whom I formed and made.(HM)

Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(HN)
    who have ears but are deaf.(HO)
All the nations gather together(HP)
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(HQ) this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are my witnesses,(HR)” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant(HS) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(HT) and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(HU) was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.(HV)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(HW)
    and apart from me there is no savior.(HX)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god(HY) among you.
You are my witnesses,(HZ)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13     Yes, and from ancient days(IA) I am he.(IB)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”(IC)

God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

14 This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,(ID) the Holy One(IE) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
    and bring down as fugitives(IF) all the Babylonians,[c](IG)
    in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(IH) your Holy One,
    Israel’s Creator,(II) your King.(IJ)

16 This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,(IK)
17 who drew out(IL) the chariots and horses,(IM)
    the army and reinforcements together,(IN)
and they lay(IO) there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(IP)
18 “Forget the former things;(IQ)
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(IR)
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(IS)
    and streams in the wasteland.(IT)
20 The wild animals(IU) honor me,
    the jackals(IV) and the owls,
because I provide water(IW) in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21     the people I formed(IX) for myself(IY)
    that they may proclaim my praise.(IZ)

22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
    you have not wearied(JA) yourselves for[d] me, Israel.(JB)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(JC)
    nor honored(JD) me with your sacrifices.(JE)
I have not burdened(JF) you with grain offerings
    nor wearied you with demands(JG) for incense.(JH)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(JI) for me,
    or lavished on me the fat(JJ) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
    and wearied(JK) me with your offenses.(JL)

25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
    your transgressions,(JM) for my own sake,(JN)
    and remembers your sins(JO) no more.(JP)
26 Review the past for me,
    let us argue the matter together;(JQ)
    state the case(JR) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(JS) sinned;
    those I sent to teach(JT) you rebelled(JU) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
    I consigned Jacob to destruction[e](JV)
    and Israel to scorn.(JW)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
  2. Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
  3. Isaiah 43:14 Or Chaldeans
  4. Isaiah 43:22 Or Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of
  5. Isaiah 43:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

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