19And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” (Joh 3:26; Joh 8:25)20He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” (Lu 3:15; Joh 1:8; Joh 3:28; Ac 13:25)21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” (De 18:15; De 18:18; Mt 11:14; Mt 16:14)22So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[8] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Isa 40:3; Mt 3:3)24(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)25They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (Mt 3:6; Mr 1:4; Lu 3:3; Lu 3:7)26John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, (Mt 3:11; Mr 1:7; Lu 3:16; Ac 1:5; Ac 13:25)27even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (Joh 1:15; Joh 1:30)28These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Ge 22:8; Ex 12:3; Isa 53:7; Joh 1:36; Joh 3:16; Joh 4:42; Joh 12:47; Ac 8:32; Heb 10:4; Heb 10:11; 1Pe 1:19; 1Jo 2:2; 1Jo 3:5; 1Jo 4:14; Re 5:6)30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ (Joh 1:15; Joh 1:27)31I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” (Lu 1:17; Lu 1:76)32And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. (Isa 11:2; Mt 3:16; Mr 1:10; Lu 3:22; Joh 1:7; Ac 10:38)33I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ (Mt 3:11; Mr 1:8; Lu 3:2; Lu 3:16; Joh 1:6; Joh 3:5; Ac 1:5)34And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[9] of God.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,36and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (Joh 1:29)37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.38Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” (Mr 10:51; Joh 1:49; Joh 3:2; Joh 3:26; Joh 6:25; Joh 18:4; Joh 18:7; Joh 20:15; Joh 20:16)39He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.[10]40One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus[11] was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. (Mt 4:18; Mr 1:16; Lu 5:2)41He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). (Joh 4:25)42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter[12]). (Mt 16:18; Joh 21:15; 1Co 1:12; 1Co 3:22)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” (Joh 1:28; Joh 1:35; Joh 2:1)44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. (Joh 12:21)45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (Mt 2:23; Lu 3:23; Lu 16:16; Lu 24:27; Joh 6:42; Joh 21:2)46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (Joh 7:41; Joh 7:52)47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (Ps 32:2; Ps 73:1; Zep 3:13; Ro 9:4; Ro 9:6; Re 14:5)48Nathanael 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.” (Joh 2:24)49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (Zep 3:15; Zec 9:9; Mt 27:11; Mt 27:42; Joh 1:38; Joh 6:69; Joh 11:27; Joh 12:13; Joh 20:28)50Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”51And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,[13] you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (Ge 28:12; Eze 1:1; Da 7:13; Mt 3:16; Lu 3:21)
John 1
New International Version
The Word became flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2He was with God in the beginning.3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.4In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[1] it.6There was a man sent from God whose name was John.7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.9The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.12Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.15(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, ‘This is the one I spoke about when I said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” ’)16Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.18No-one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[2] is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John the Baptist denies being the Messiah
19Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[3] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (Joh 5:10; Joh 5:15; Joh 5:16; Joh 7:1; Joh 7:11; Joh 7:13; Joh 9:22; Joh 18:14; Joh 18:28; Joh 18:36; Joh 19:7; Joh 19:12; Joh 19:31; Joh 19:38; Joh 20:19)20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah.’21They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’22Finally they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord.” ’ (Isa 40:3)24Now the Pharisees who had been sent25questioned him, ‘Why then do you baptise if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’26‘I baptise with[4] water,’ John replied, ‘but among you stands one you do not know.27He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
John testifies about Jesus
29The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’32Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.33And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”34I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’[5] (Isa 42:1)
John’s disciples follow Jesus
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.38Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’39‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).42And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter[6]).
Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.45Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’46‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’48‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.’49Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.’50Jesus said, ‘You believe[7] because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You will see greater things than that.’51He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you,[8] you[9] will see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on” the Son of Man.’ (Ge 28:12)