1 I n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;

In the beginning was the Word ( Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

2 t his one was in the beginning with God;

He was present originally with God.

3 a ll things through him did happen, and without him happened not even one thing that hath happened.

All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.

4 I n him was life, and the life was the light of men,

In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

5 a nd the light in the darkness did shine, and the darkness did not perceive it.

And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it.

6 T here came a man -- having been sent from God -- whose name John,

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 t his one came for testimony, that he might testify about the Light, that all might believe through him;

This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it through him.

8 t hat one was not the Light, but -- that he might testify about the Light.

He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.

9 H e was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the world;

There it was—the true Light coming into the world that illumines every person.

10 i n the world he was, and the world through him was made, and the world did not know him:

He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

11 t o his own things he came, and his own people did not receive him;

He came to that which belonged to Him, and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.

12 b ut as many as did receive him to them he gave authority to become sons of God -- to those believing in his name,

But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—

13 w ho -- not of blood nor of a will of flesh, nor of a will of man but -- of God were begotten.

Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh nor to the will of man, but to God.

14 A nd the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.

And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.

15 J ohn doth testify concerning him, and hath cried, saying, `This was he of whom I said, He who after me is coming, hath come before me, for he was before me;'

John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me.

16 a nd out of his fulness did we all receive, and grace over-against grace;

For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift upon gift.

17 f or the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ did come;

For while the Law was given through Moses, grace ( unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 G od no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father -- he did declare.

No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

19 A nd this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent out of Jerusalem priests and Levites, that they might question him, `Who art thou?'

And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?

20 a nd he confessed and did not deny, and confessed -- `I am not the Christ.'

He confessed (admitted the truth) and did not try to conceal it, but acknowledged, I am not the Christ!

21 A nd they questioned him, `What then? Elijah art thou?' and he saith, `I am not.' -- `The prophet art thou?' and he answered, `No.'

They asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not! Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No!

22 T hey said then to him, `Who art thou, that we may give an answer to those sending us? what dost thou say concerning thyself?'

Then they said to him, Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

23 H e said, `I a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.'

He said, I am the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.

24 A nd those sent were of the Pharisees,

The messengers had been sent from the Pharisees.

25 a nd they questioned him and said to him, `Why, then, dost thou baptize, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?'

And they asked him, Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?

26 J ohn answered them, saying, `I baptize with water, but in midst of you he hath stood whom ye have not known, this one it is who is coming after me, who hath been before me,

John answered them, I baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing.

27 o f whom I am not worthy that I may loose the cord of his sandal.'

It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose.

28 T hese things came to pass in Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing,

These things occurred in Bethany (Bethabara) across the Jordan '> at the Jordan crossing], where John was then baptizing.

29 o n the morrow John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, `Lo, the Lamb of God, who is taking away the sin of the world;

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!

30 t his is he concerning whom I said, After me doth come a man, who hath come before me, because he was before me:

This is He of Whom I said, After me comes a Man Who has priority over me because He was before me and existed before I did.

31 a nd I knew him not, but, that he might be manifested to Israel, because of this I came with the water baptizing.

And I did not know Him and did not recognize Him; but it is in order that He should be made manifest and be revealed to Israel that I came baptizing in (with) water.

32 A nd John testified, saying -- `I have seen the Spirit coming down, as a dove, out of heaven, and it remained on him;

John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him.

33 a nd I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, On whomsoever thou mayst see the Spirit coming down, and remaining on him, this is he who is baptizing with the Holy Spirit;

And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptize in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

34 a nd I have seen, and have testified, that this is the Son of God.'

And I have seen and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!

35 O n the morrow, again, John was standing, and two of his disciples,

Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

36 a nd having looked on Jesus walking, he saith, `Lo, the Lamb of God;'

And he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God!

37 a nd the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him.

38 A nd Jesus having turned, and having beheld them following, saith to them, `What seek ye?' and they said to them, `Rabbi, (which is, being interpreted, Teacher,) where remainest thou?'

But Jesus turned, and as He saw them following Him, He said to them, What are you looking for? And they answered Him, Rabbi—which translated is Teacher—where are You staying?

39 H e saith to them, `Come and see;' they came, and saw where he doth remain, and with him they remained that day and the hour was about the tenth.

He said to them, Come and see. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they remained with Him that day. It was then about the tenth hour (about four o’clock in the afternoon).

40 A ndrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard from John, and followed him;

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

41 t his one doth first find his own brother Simon, and saith to him, `We have found the Messiah,' (which is, being interpreted, The Anointed,)

He first sought out and found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found (discovered) the Messiah!—which translated is the Christ (the Anointed One).

42 a nd he brought him unto Jesus: and having looked upon him, Jesus saith, `Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas, thou shalt be called Cephas,' (which is interpreted, A rock.)

Andrew then led (brought) Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas—which translated is Peter.

43 O n the morrow, he willed to go forth to Galilee, and he findeth Philip, and saith to him, `Be following me.'

The next day Jesus desired and decided to go into Galilee; and He found Philip and said to him, Join Me as My attendant and follow Me.

44 A nd Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter;

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the same city as Andrew and Peter.

45 P hilip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him, `Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets, we have found, Jesus the son of Joseph, who from Nazareth;'

Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him, We have found (discovered) the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about—Jesus from Nazareth, the son of Joseph!

46 a nd Nathanael said to him, `Out of Nazareth is any good thing able to be?' Philip said to him, `Come and see.'

Nathanael answered him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!

47 J esus saw Nathanael coming unto him, and he saith concerning him, `Lo, truly an Israelite, in whom guile is not;'

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him, See! Here is an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity!

48 N athanael saith to him, `Whence me dost thou know?' Jesus answered and said to him, `Before Philip's calling thee -- thou being under the fig-tree -- I saw thee.'

Nathanael said to Jesus, How do You know me? Jesus answered him, Before Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you.

49 N athanael answered and saith to him, `Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel.'

Nathanael answered, Teacher, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!

50 J esus answered and said to him, `Because I said to thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, thou dost believe; greater things than these thou shalt see;'

Jesus replied, Because I said to you, I saw you beneath the fig tree, do you believe in and rely on and trust in Me? You shall see greater things than this!

51 a nd he saith to him, `Verily, verily, I say to you, henceforth ye shall see the heaven opened, and the messengers of God going up and coming down upon the Son of Man.'

Then He said to him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you all, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man!