John 1

The Prologue: The Word

1In the beginning the Word was; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things came to be; and without him nothing came to be that has come to be. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of the human race. 5The light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not take hold of it. 6A man appeared, sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness, to testify about the light, so that through him everyone might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came to testify about the light. 9The true light, which gives light to every human being, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and though the world came to be through him, the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not welcome him. 12But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13children born not of blood, nor of the desire of the flesh, nor of a man’s will, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We looked on his glory, the glory of an only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about him. He cried out, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘He who comes after me now stands ahead of me, because he was before me.’” 16From his fullness we have all received — grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is God and rests close to the Father’s heart — he has made him known.*

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19This is the testimony John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed and did not deny it; he confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21They asked him, “Then what? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22So they said to him, “Who are you, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He replied, “I am a voice crying out in the desert: make the way of the Lord straight — as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24Those who had been sent were from the Pharisees, 25and they questioned him: “Then why do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one you do not know, 27the one who comes after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look — the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 30This is the one I meant when I said, ‘After me comes a man who now stands ahead of me, because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water precisely so that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32And John gave this testimony: “I have watched the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him. 33I did not know him; but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest — he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I have seen it, and I have testified: this is the Son of God.”

The First Disciples

35The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Look — the Lamb of God.” 37The two disciples heard him say it, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following. “What are you looking for?” he asked. They said, “Rabbi” — which means Teacher — “where are you staying?” 39“Come and you will see,” he told them. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who had heard John and followed Jesus. 41The first one he found was his own brother Simon. “We have found the Messiah,” he told him — which means the Christ. 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” — which means Peter. 43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets too: Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” 46“Nazareth?” Nathanael said. “Can anything good come from there?” Philip replied, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” 48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” 51And he said to him, “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”