1In the beginning was the Word, ⁰and the Word was with God, ¹and the Word was God. ²

2He Himself existed in the beginning with God.

3All things came to be by Him; that is, apart from Him not even one thing that has come into being came to be. ³

4In Him was life, and the Life was the Light of mankind. ⁴

5Now the Light shines in the darkness, ⁵and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶

John—a witness to the Light

6There was a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

7This man came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

8He himself was not the Light but was to testify about the Light—

9the true Light which illumines everyone who comes into the world. ⁷

10He was in the world, the world that came into being by Him, yet the world did not know Him.

11He came to His own things, yet His own people did not receive Him.

12But, as many as did receive Him, ⁸to them He gave the right to become children of God, ⁹to those who believe into His name: ¹⁰

13who were begotten, not by blood, nor by the desire of the flesh, nor by the will of a man, ¹¹but by God. ¹²

Jesus—the Only-begotten

14So the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we observed His glory, glory of an Only-begotten, ¹³from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15John testified about Him and called out saying: “This is He of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me is now ahead of me, because He existed before I did.’ ”

16Now we have all received from His fullness, yes, grace upon grace.

17Because the Law was given through Moses; ¹⁴the Grace and the Truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁵

18No one has ever seen God. The Only-begotten Son, ¹⁶who exists in the bosom of the Father, He has interpreted Him. ¹⁷

19Now this is John's testimony, when the Jews ¹⁸sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20He confessed, he did not deny but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ¹⁹

21So they asked him, “What then, are you Elijah?” And he says, “I am not.” ²⁰“Are you ‘the Prophet’?” ²¹“No,” he answered.

22So they said to him: “Who are you?—so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23He said, “I am ‘the voice of one calling out: “Make the Lord's road straight in the wilderness,” ’ just as the prophet Isaiah said.” ²²

24Now those who had been sent were from the Pharisees.

25So they asked him saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor ‘the Prophet’?”

26John answered them saying: “I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.

27He is the One coming after me who is now ahead of me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

28These things happened in Bithabara, ²³across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

“Behold the Lamb of God!”

29The next day John sees Jesus coming toward him and says: “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ²⁴

30This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is now ahead of me, because He existed before I did.’ ²⁵

31I did not know Him; but so that He should be revealed to Israel, that is why I came baptizing with water.”

32And John testified saying: “I observed the Spirit coming down like a dove out of heaven, and He rested upon Him. ²⁶

33Now I did not know Him, ²⁷but He who sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, ²⁸‘The One upon whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting—this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ²⁹

34So I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” ³⁰

35Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples.

36And seeing Jesus walking by, he says, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38So turning and observing them following ³¹Jesus says to them, “What do you want?” So they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which translated means ‘Teacher’), “where are You staying?”

39He says to them, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where He was staying, and stayed with Him that day—it was about the tenth hour. ³²

40One of the two who heard John and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

41He first finds his own brother Simon and says to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated ‘Christ’).

42And he led him to Jesus. Looking at him Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of Jonah; ³³you will be called Cephas” (which is translated ‘Stone’). ³⁴

Nathanael

43The next day He decided to go to Galilee, so He finds Philip ³⁵and says to him, “Follow me.”

44(Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)

45Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found the One of whom Moses in the Law—and also the prophets—wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Natsareth.” ³⁶

46So Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Natsareth?” Philip says to him, “Come and see!” ³⁷

47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and says about him, “There, a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”

48Nathanael says to Him, “From where do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49In answer Nathanael says to Him: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ³⁸

50Jesus answered and said to him: “You believe because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater than these.” ³⁹

51And He says to him, “I tell you (pl) most assuredly, later on you will see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of the Man.” ⁴⁰