The Word Became Flesh

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

2He was in the beginning with God.

3All things were made through him, and nothing that was made was made without him.

4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

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

7He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.

8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.

9The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, but the world did not know him.

11He came to his own, but his own people did not receive him.

12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

13who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15John testified about him and cried out, “This is he ⁰of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ”

16¹Of his fullness we have all received, even grace upon grace.

17For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only ²Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

The Identity of John the Baptist

19This was the testimony of John when the Jews ³sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are yoʋ?”

20He did not refuse to answer, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

21So they asked him, “What then? Are yoʋ Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are yoʋ the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

22So they said to him, “Who are yoʋ? Tell us so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do yoʋ say about yoʋrself?”

23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24(Now ⁴those who had been sent were from the Pharisees.)

25Then they asked him, “Why then do yoʋ baptize if yoʋ are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands someone you do not ⁵know.

27He is the one who comes after me, ⁶who ranks ahead of me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

28These things took place in ⁷Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

29On the next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’

31I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained upon him.

33I myself did not recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He upon whom yoʋ see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

34And I have seen it and can testify that this is the ⁸Son of God.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

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

36As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

38Turning around, Jesus saw them following him and said to them, “What are you seeking?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are yoʋ staying?”

39He said to them, “ ⁹Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and stayed with him that day; it was about the tenth hour.

40Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard this from John and followed Jesus.

41Andrew first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”),

42and he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “Yoʋ are Simon the son of ¹⁰Jonah; yoʋ shall be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43On the next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

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

45Philip then found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and of whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit.”

48Nathanael said to him, “How do yoʋ know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called yoʋ, when yoʋ were under the fig tree, I saw yoʋ.”

49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, yoʋ are the Son of God! Yoʋ are the king of Israel!”

50Jesus answered him, “Do yoʋ believe because I ¹¹said to yoʋ, ‘I saw yoʋ under the fig tree’? Yoʋ will see greater things than these.”

51Then he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ¹²before long you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”