John 1

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3All things came into being through him, and without him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 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 through him everyone might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came to testify about the light. 9The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10He was in the world, and though the world came into being through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of blood, nor of human desire, nor of a husband’s will, but born of God.

14The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about him and cried out, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’” 16From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is close beside the Father, has made him known.

19This is what John testified when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He spoke openly and did not refuse to answer; he stated plainly, “I am not the Christ.” 21So they 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 have to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23John answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice of someone calling out in the wilderness, ‘Make the road straight for the Lord.’”

24They had been sent by the Pharisees. 25They questioned him further: “Why are you baptizing, then, if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water. But someone stands among you whom you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, and I am not worthy even to untie the strap of his sandal.” 28All this happened at Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God, who carries away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me 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.” 32John also gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and remain on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘When you see the Spirit come down and remain on someone, that is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen it, and I have testified that this is the Chosen One of God.”

35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36He watched Jesus walking by and said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following. He asked them, “What are you looking for?” They answered him, “Rabbi”—the word means Teacher—“where are you staying?” 39He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent the rest of that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s words and followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42He brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked closely at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which means Peter, that is, Rock).

43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44Philip came from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “Moses wrote about him in the law, and so did the prophets, and now we have found him: Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” 46Nathanael answered, “Can anything good be from a place like Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite: there is nothing deceitful in him.” 48Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree, before Philip called you.” 49Nathanael answered, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are Israel’s King!” 50Jesus replied, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” 51Then he said to him, “Truly, truly, I tell you all: you will see heaven standing open, and God’s angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”