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 Through him were created all things, and apart from him not one thing came into existence that has come into existence. 4 He was the very source of life itself, and that life was the light for mankind; 5 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never overcome+ it.

6 A man sent by God appeared on the scene, whose name was John. 7 This man came as a witness, to bear solemn testimony on behalf of the light, so that all might place their faith in it because of his testimony. 8 John himself wasn’t the light; no, he came in order to bear witness on behalf of the light. 9 The one about whom John testified was the true light that gives light to every human being by his coming into the world.

10 He was right here in the world. And the world: It was through him that it came into existence. Yet the world didn’t recognize him. 11 It was to his very own homeland+ that he came, and yet his own people refused to accept him. 12 As for all who did accept him, however, he granted them the right to become children of God—those who place their faith in his name, 13 children conceived not by human parents, nor as a result of human desire, nor because of human decision, but by God.

14 The Word became a real man, lowly and mortal, and tabernacled among us; we witnessed his glory, the glory belonging to the matchless+ Son who came from the presence of the Father, and who was full of steadfast mercy and faithfulness. 15 John bore solemn witness on his behalf, crying out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’ ” 16 From the fullness of his divine life and nature, you see, we, all of us, have received indeed one gracious and merciful gift after another. 17 For as for Torah, it was through Moses that it was given; as for steadfast mercy and faithfulness, it is through Jesus the Messiah that they have been shown. 18 God no one has seen at any time. The matchless Son, himself God,+ who is in direct and closest fellowship with the Father—he has made him fully known.

19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to ask him who he was: 20 “I am not the Messiah.” This he openly acknowledged; he readily admitted it and was very open about it.

21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?”

“I am not,” John replied.

“Are you the Prophet?”

“No,” he answered.

22 “Who are you?” they asked him. “We need to give those who sent us an answer. What do you have to say about yourself?”

23 John said, “I am ‘a voice of one shouting in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the LORD!” ’+—just as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24 (Those who had been sent belonged to the religious party called the Pharisees.)

25 In response they said, “Why in the world then are you baptizing, if you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?”

26 “I,” replied John, “have been baptizing with+ water. Among ᵖyou stands someone whom ᵖyou don’t recognize— 27 the one who is coming after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

28 As for these events, Bethany was where they took place, on the other side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God, who is going to do away with the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘After me is coming a man who ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’ 31 I myself didn’t recognize him. Yet it was for this reason that I came baptizing with water: To make him known to Israel.” 32 John also gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. 33 I myself didn’t recognize him. The one who sent me to baptize with water, however, he, to me, said, ‘The one toward whom ˢyou see the Spirit descending and on whom he remains, this is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I am a witness to these events and solemnly declare: This man is the Son of God.”

35 The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36 “Look!” he said, looking straight at Jesus as he walked by. “The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard John say this and began to follow Jesus.

38 Jesus, then, when he turned around and saw them following, asked them, “What are ᵖyou looking for?”

“Rabbi,” they replied (the word “Rabbi” means “Teacher”), “where are ˢyou staying?”

39 “Come and ᵖyou will see,” he replied.

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed the rest of that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who had heard what John had said and followed Jesus. 41 This man went and found, before he did anything else, his own brother, Simon. “We’ve found the Messiah!” he said to him. (The word “Messiah” means “Anointed One.”) 42 He brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus, looking straight at him, said, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Kefa” (which in Greek is “Peter,” meaning “Rock”).

43 The next day Jesus decided to set out for the district of Galilee. Jesus found Philip and said to him, “Come along with me as a disciple.” 44 (Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.) 45 Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We’ve found the very one about whom Moses wrote in the Torah, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!”

46 “From Nazareth can there come anything good?” Nathaniel asked him.

“Come and see!” replied Philip.

47 Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, ‘in whose heart there is no deceit.’+”

48 “ How do you know what sort of a person I am?” Nathaniel asked him.

Then Jesus said something remarkable to Nathaniel: “It was while ˢyou were under the fig tree that I saw you, even before Philip called out for you to come.”

49 “Rabbi,” Nathaniel replied, “you are the Son of God! You are the very King of Israel!”

50 “Do ˢyou believe simply because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?” Jesus asked him. “ˢYou will see even greater things than these!” 51 Then he said to him, “Amen, amen, I solemnly tell all of ᵖyou this: ᵖYou will see heaven opened and the ‘angels of God ascending and descending upon’+ the Son of Man.”