1In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.G1722G746G2258G3056G2532G3056G2258G4314G2316G2532G3056G2258G23162From the very beginning the Word was with God.G3778G2258G1722G746G4314G23163Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.G3956G1096G1223G846G2532G5565G846G1096G3761G1520G1096G3739G10964The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people.G1722G846G2258G2222G2532G2222G2258G5457G4445The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.G2532G5457G5316G1722G4653G2532G4653G2638G846G37566God sent his messenger, a man named John,G1096G444G649G3844G2316G846G3686G24917who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe.G3778G2064G1519G3141G2443G3140G4012G5457G2443G3956G1223G846G41008He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light.G2258G3756G1565G5457G235G2443G3140G4012G54579This was the real light - -the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.G2258G228G5457G3739G5461G3956G444G2064G1519G288910The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him.G2258G1722G2889G2532G2889G1096G1223G846G2532G2889G1097G846G375611He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him.G2064G1519G2398G2532G2398G3880G846G375612Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children.G1161G3745G2983G846G846G1325G1849G1096G5043G2316G4100G1519G846G368613They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.G3739G1080G3756G1537G129G3761G1537G2307G4561G3761G1537G2307G435G235G1537G231614The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.G2532G3056G1096G4561G2532G4637G1722G2254G2532G2300G846G1391G1391G5613G3439G3844G3962G4134G5485G2532G22515John spoke about him. He cried out, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.' "G2491G3140G4012G846G2532G2896G3004G3778G2258G3739G2036G2064G3694G3450G1096G1715G3450G3754G2258G4413G345016Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.G2532G1537G846G4138G2983G3956G2249G2983G2532G5485G473G548517God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.G3754G3551G1325G1223G3475G5485G2532G225G1096G1223G2424G554718No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.G3762G3708G2316G4455G3439G5207G3588G5607G1519G2859G3962G1565G183419The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, "Who are you?"G2532G3778G2076G3141G2491G3753G2453G649G2409G2532G3019G1537G2414G2443G2065G846G5101G1488G477120John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: "I am not the Messiah."G2532G3670G2532G720G3756G2532G3670G3754G1473G1510G3756G554721"Who are you, then?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "No, I am not," John answered. "Are you the Prophet?" they asked. "No," he replied.G2532G2065G846G5101G3767G1488G4771G2243G2532G3004G1510G3756G1488G4771G4396G2532G611G375622"Then tell us who you are," they said. "We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself ?"G3767G2036G846G5101G1488G2443G1325G612G3992G2248G5101G3004G4012G457223John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah: "I am 'the voice of someone shouting in the desert: Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!' "G5346G1473G5456G994G1722G2048G2116G3598G2962G2531G2036G4396G226824The messengers, who had been sent by the Pharisees,G2532G3588G649G2258G1537G533025then asked John, "If you are not the Messiah nor Elijah nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?"G2532G2065G846G2532G2036G846G5101G907G3767G1487G4771G1488G3756G5547G3777G2243G3777G439626John answered, "I baptize with water, but among you stands the one you do not know.G2491G611G846G3004G1473G907G1722G5204G1161G2476G3319G5216G3739G5210G1492G375627He is coming after me, but I am not good enough even to untie his sandals."G846G2076G3739G2064G3694G3450G1096G1715G3450G3739G846G5266G2438G1473G1510G3756G514G2443G308928All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.G5023G1096G1722G962G4008G2446G3699G2491G2258G90729The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!G1887G2491G991G2424G2064G4314G846G2532G3004G2396G286G2316G3588G142G266G288930This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.'G3778G2076G4012G3739G1473G2036G3694G3450G2064G435G3739G1096G1715G3450G3754G2258G4413G345031I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel."G2504G1492G846G3756G235G2443G5319G2474G1223G5124G2064G1473G2064G907G1722G520432And John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him.G2532G2491G3140G3004G3754G2300G4151G2597G1537G3772G5616G4058G2532G3306G1909G84633I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, 'You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'G2504G1492G846G3756G235G3992G3165G907G1722G5204G1565G2036G3427G1909G3739G302G1492G4151G2597G2532G3306G1909G846G3778G2076G907G1722G40G415134I have seen it," said John, "and I tell you that he is the Son of God."G2504G3708G2532G3140G3754G3778G2076G5207G231635The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples,G3825G1887G2491G2476G2532G1417G1537G846G310136when he saw Jesus walking by. "There is the Lamb of God!" he said.G2532G1689G2424G4043G3004G2396G286G231637The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus.G2532G1417G3101G191G846G2980G2532G190G242438Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, "What are you looking for?" They answered, "Where do you live, Rabbi?" (This word means "Teacher.")G1161G2424G4762G2532G2300G846G190G3004G846G5101G2212G1161G2036G846G4461G3739G3004G2059G1320G4226G330639"Come and see," he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.G3004G846G2064G2532G1492G2064G2532G1492G4226G3306G2532G3306G3844G846G1565G2250G1161G2258G5613G1182G561040One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.G1520G1537G1417G3588G191G3844G2491G2532G190G846G2258G406G4613G4074G8041At once he found his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah." (This word means "Christ.")G3778G4413G2147G2398G80G4613G2532G3004G846G2147G3323G3739G2076G3177G554742Then he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas." (This is the same as Peter and means "a rock.")G2532G71G846G4314G2424G1161G2424G1689G846G2036G4771G1488G4613G5207G2495G4771G2564G2786G3739G2059G407443The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come with me!"G1887G2424G2309G1831G1519G1056G2532G2147G5376G2532G3004G846G190G342744(Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.)G1161G5376G2258G575G966G4172G1537G406G2532G407445Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth."G5376G2147G3482G2532G3004G846G2147G3739G3475G1722G3551G2532G4396G1125G2424G575G3478G5207G250146"Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," answered Philip.G2532G3482G2036G846G1410G5100G18G1511G1537G3478G5376G3004G846G2064G2532G149247When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, "Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!"G2424G1492G3482G2064G4314G846G2532G3004G4012G846G2396G2475G230G1722G3739G2076G3756G138848Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you."G3482G3004G846G4159G1097G3165G2424G611G2532G2036G846G4253G5376G5455G4571G5607G5259G4808G1492G457149"Teacher," answered Nathanael, "you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"G3482G611G2532G3004G846G4461G4771G1488G5207G2316G4771G1488G935G247450Jesus said, "Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!"G2424G611G2532G2036G846G3754G2036G4671G1492G4571G5270G4808G4100G3700G3187G513051And he said to them, "I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man."G2532G3004G846G281G281G3004G5213G737G575G3700G3772G455G2532G32G2316G305G2532G2597G1909G5207G444
Dublin, OH
