The Word Before All Things

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. This One was in the beginning with God.
3. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being which has come into being.
4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.

The Witness of John

6. A man came, sent from God, whose name was John.
7. He came for a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light, so that all might believe through him.
8. He was not the light, but came to bear witness concerning the light.
9. The true light, which enlightens every person, was coming into the world.
10. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12. But to as many as received Him, to those believing in His name, He gave authority to become children of God.
13. They were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Becomes Flesh

14. And the Word became flesh, and He dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory: glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15. John bears witness concerning Him and has cried, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me has come to be before me, because He was first of me.’”
16. For from His fullness we all received, even grace in place of grace.
17. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18. No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.

The Testimony at the Jordan

19. And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20. He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21. And they asked him, “Then what? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22. Then 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?”
23. He said, “I am a voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24. And those who had been sent were from the Pharisees.
25. And they asked him and said to him, “Why then do you baptise, if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the Prophet?”
26. John answered them, saying, “I baptise in water; but among you stands One whom you do not know.”
27. “It is He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to loosen.”
28. These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptising.

The Lamb of God and The First Disciples

29. The next day he sees Jesus coming toward him, and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
30. “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has come to be before me, because He was first of me.’”
31. “And I myself did not know Him; but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptising in water.”
32. And John bore witness, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon Him.”
33. “And I did not know Him; but He who sent me to baptise in water said to me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is He who baptises in the Holy Spirit.’”
34. “And I have seen, and borne witness, that this is the Son of God.”

Jesus Public Ministry

35. Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
36. And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”
37. And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.
38. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, says to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “Where do You stay?”
39. He says to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where He stayed, and they remained with Him that day; it was about the tenth hour.

The Inviting of The First Believers

40. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him.
41. He first finds his own brother Simon and says to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
42. He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, Peter).
43. The next day He desired to go into Galilee, and He finds Philip. And Jesus says to him, “Follow Me.”
44. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45. Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets as well, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46. And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip says to him, “Come and see.”
47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and says concerning him, “Behold, truly an Israelite in whom is no deceit.”
48. Nathanael 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.”
49. Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are King of Israel.”
50. Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ you believe; you will see greater things than these.”
51. And He says to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”