1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 This one was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things came to be, and apart from him not a single thing came to be of what has come to be.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of mankind.
5 The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 A man appeared, sent from God; his name was John.
7 This man came for a testimony, to testify concerning the light, so that through him all might believe.
8 He himself was not the light; he came to testify concerning the light.
9 That was the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and through him the world came to be, yet the world did not recognize him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not welcome him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God:
13 those born not of bloodlines, nor of fleshly desire, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us, and we gazed on his glory, glory such as belongs to the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testifies about him; he cried out, "This was the one I spoke of: 'The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'"
16 From his fullness all of us have received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given by way of Moses; grace and truth came by way of Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.
19 This is John's testimony, when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?"
20 He openly declared, and did not deny it; he declared, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Then what? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 So they said to him, "Who are you? We have to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 He said, "I am a voice of one calling out in the wilderness, 'Make the way of the Lord straight,' just as Isaiah the prophet said."
24 Now the men who had been sent were from among the Pharisees.
25 They questioned him further: "Why are you baptizing, then, if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet?"
26 John answered them, "I baptize with water; but standing among you is one you do not know.
27 He it is who comes after me and ranks ahead of me, whose sandal strap I am not fit to loosen."
28 This took place in Bethabara across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The following day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'
31 I did not know him myself; but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel."
32 John testified further: "I have watched the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove, and it stayed on him.
33 I did not know him myself, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and staying, he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
34 I have seen it, and I have testified that this is the Son of God."
35 The following day John was standing there again with two of his disciples.
36 He looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
37 The two disciples heard what he said and went after Jesus.
38 Jesus turned around, saw them following, and asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which means, when translated, Teacher), "where are you lodging?"
39 He told them, "Come and see." So they came and saw where he was lodging, and they spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who had heard John speak and had followed Jesus.
41 The first thing he did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (which, translated, is Christ).
42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, "You are Simon, son of Jonah. You will be called Cephas" (which, translated, is Peter).
43 On the following day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, "Follow me."
44 Philip came from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "The one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets as well, we have found: Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
46 Nathanael said to him, "From Nazareth can anything good come?" Philip told him, "Come and see."
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said about him, "Look, here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false!"
48 Nathanael asked him, "Where do you know me from?" Jesus answered 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 the King of Israel!"
50 Jesus responded, "Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that."
51 Then he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you will see heaven standing open and the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man."