Twenty - John - 1

1:1  In the Beginning the Word was; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.

1:2  He was in the Beginning with God;

1:3  Through him all things came into being, and nothing came into being apart from him.

1:4  That which came into being in him was Life; and the Life was the Light of Man;

1:5  And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness never overpowered it.

1:6  There appeared a man sent from God, whose name was John;

1:7  He came as a witness--to bear witness to the Light that through him all men might believe.

1:8  He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness to the Light.

1:9  That was the True Light which enlightens every man coming into the world.

1:10  He was in the world; and through him the world came into being--yet the world did not know him.

1:11  He came to his own--yet his own did not receive him.

1:12  But to all who did receive him he gave power to become Children of God--to those who believe in his Name.

1:13  For not to natural conception, nor to human instincts, nor to will of man did they owe the new Life, but to God.

1:14  And the Word became Man, and dwelt among us, (We saw his glory--the glory of the Only Son sent from the Father), full of love and truth.

1:15  (John bears witness to him; he cried aloud--for it was he who spoke--"'He who is Coming' after me is now before me, for he was ever first");

1:16  Out of his fulness we have all received some gift, gift after gift of love;

1:17  For the Law was given through Moses, love and truth came through Jesus Christ.

1:18  No man has ever yet seen God; God the Only Son, who is ever with the Father--He has revealed him.

1:19  When the Jews sent some Priests and Levites to John from Jerusalem, to ask--"Who are you?", his statement was this.

1:20  He confessed and did not deny it, he confessed--"I am not the Christ."

1:21  "What then?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "No," he said, "I am not." "Are you 'the Prophet'?"He answered, "No."

1:22  "Who then are you?" they continued; "tell us, that we may have some answer to give to those who have sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

1:23  "I," he answered, "am--'The voice of one crying aloud in the Wilderness--"straighten the way of the Lord"',as the Prophet Isaiah said."

1:24  These men had been sent from the Pharisees;

1:25  And their next question was. "Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor yet 'the Prophet'?"

1:26  John's answer was--"I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know;

1:27  He is coming after me, yet I am not worthy even to unfasten his sandal."

1:28  All this took place at Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was then baptizing.

1:29  The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and exclaimed. "Here is the Lamb of God, who is to take away the sin of the world!

1:30  It was of him that I spoke when I said 'After me there is coming a man who is now before me, for he was ever First.'

1:31  I myself did not know him, but, that he may be made known to Israel, I have come, baptizing with water."

1:32  John also made this statement--"I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of the heavens, and it remained upon him.

1:33  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, he said to me 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him--he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

1:34  This I have seen myself, and I have declared my belief that he is the Son of God."

1:35  The next day, when John was standing with two of his disciples,

1:36  He looked at Jesus as he passed and exclaimed. "There is the Lamb of God!"

1:37  The two disciples heard him say this, and followed Jesus.

1:38  But Jesus turned round, and saw them following. "What are you looking for?" he asked. "Rabbi," they answered, "where are you staying?"

1:39  "Come, and you shall see," he replied. So they went, and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was then about four in the afternoon.

1:40  One of the two, who heard what John said and followed Jesus, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

1:41  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him. "We have found the Messiah!"

1:42  Then he brought him to Jesus. Fixing his eyes on him, Jesus said. "You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Kephas", (which means 'Peter,' or 'Rock').

1:43  The following day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip, and said to him. "Follow me."

1:44  Philip was from Bethsaida, and a fellow-townsman of Andrew and Peter.

1:45  He found Nathanael and said to him. "We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and of whom the Prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph's son!"

1:46  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" asked Nathanael. "Come and see," replied Philip.

1:47  When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said. "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!"

1:48  "How do you know me?" asked Nathanael. "Even before Philip called you," replied Jesus, "when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

1:49  "Rabbi," Nathanael exclaimed, "you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!"

1:50  "Do you believe in me," asked Jesus, "because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You shall see greater things than those!

1:51  In truth I tell you," he added, "you shall all see Heaven open, and 'the angels of God ascending and descending' upon the Son of Man."