Shared Word Translation
John 1
The Word
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him,
and apart from him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory,
the glory as of a father’s only son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified about him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is before me, because he was before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
The Witness of John
This is the testimony of John, when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who comes after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason: that he might be revealed to Israel.”
And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
The First Disciples
The next day John was again standing with two of his disciples, and looking at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look—the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you seeking?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated is Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
The Calling of Philip and Nathanael
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote: Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Look—truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”