1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was face to face with God, and the Word was God. 2He was face to face with God in the Beginning. 3All things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing that exists came into being. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.¶ 5And the light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overwhelmed it 6A man came into being, sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, that he might bear testimony concerning the Light - so that all men might believe through him. 8He was not the Light; it was to bear testimony concerning the Light that he came into being. 9The true Light, which enlightens every man, was then coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and through him the world came into being, yet the world knew him not. 11He came to his own creation, and his own folk welcomed him not. 12But to all who receive him, to them he has given the right to become children of God, even to those who trust in his name; 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and tented with us. And we gazed on his glory - glory as of the Father’s only Son - full of grace and truth.¶ 15John bore witness concerning him, and cried aloud, saying, "This is he of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has been put before me, for he was before me.’" 16For out of his fulness we have all received, yes, grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No man has ever seen God; God, only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father - he has interpreted him.¶ 19Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent some priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20He acknowledged - he did not deny it - but acknowledged, "I am not the Christ." 21"What then?" they questioned; "Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" "No," he replied. 22Then said they to him. "Who are you? That we may give some answer to those who sent us. What account do you give of yourself?" 23He said, "I am a voice of one who cries aloud in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as said the prophet Isaiah." 24Now it was some of the Pharisees who had been sent to him; 25so they questioned him, saying, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26"I indeed am baptizing in water," John said in reply, "but in your midst stands One whom you do not recognize, 27One who is to come after me, whose sandal-strap I am not worthy to untie." 28This happened in Bethany, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.¶ 29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said. "Behold, that is God’s Lamb, who takes and bears away the sin of the world. 30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes One who has been put before me, for he was before me.’ 31I myself did not recognize him; I only came baptizing in water, in order that he might be openly shown to Israel." 32John also bore this testimony, saying. "I saw the Spirit like a dove descend from heaven and rest upon him. 33And I did not recognize him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and resting upon him, is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34This I have seen, and I am become a witness to the fact that he is the Son of God." 35Next day again, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36After gazing intently on Jesus as he walked about, he said, "Look! that is the Lamb of God!"¶ 37The two disciples heard his exclamation, and they followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned and saw them following him, and said, "What do you want?" They replied, "Rabbi" (which may be translated ‘Teacher’), "where are you staying?" 39He said to them, "Come, and you shall see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was then about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40One of the two men who heard what John said and followed Jesus, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41In the morning he found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (a word which means Christ, the Anointed One). 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked intently at him and said. "You are Simon, son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (or ‘Peter,’ which means ‘Rock’).¶ 43Next day Jesus decided to go into Galilee; and he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44Now Philip belonged to Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. 45Then Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found him about whom Moses wrote in the Law, as did the prophets - Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph’s son." 46And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, and said, "Behold a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit." 48"How do you know me?" asked Nathanael. "Before Philip called you," replied Jesus, "when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49"Rabbi," answered Nathanael, "you are the Son of God; you are King of Israel." 50Jesus said in reply. "Do you believe because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree?’ 51You shall see greater things than that! Believe me," he added, "you all shall see heaven opened wide, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."¶