The Word of Life
1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. 4 The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
6 God sent his messenger, a man named John, 7 who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. 9 This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.
10 The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. 12 Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. 13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.
14 The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
15 John spoke about him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’”
16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. 17 God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
John the Baptist's Message
(Matthew 3.1-12Mark 1.1-8Luke 3.1-18)19 The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No, I am not,” John answered.
“Are you the Prophet?” they asked.
“No,” he replied.
22 “Then tell us who you are,” they said. “We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah:
“I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert:
Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!’”
24 The messengers, who had been sent by the Pharisees, 25 then asked John, “If you are not the Messiah nor Elijah nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26 John answered, “I baptize with water, but among you stands the one you do not know. 27 He is coming after me, but I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.”
28 All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’ 31 I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel.”
32 And John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33 I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen it,” said John, “and I tell you that he is the Son of God.”
The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36 when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said.
37 The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. 38 Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They answered, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” (This word means “Teacher.”)
39 “Come and see,” he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.
40 One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 At once he found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (This word means “Christ.”) 42 Then he took Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock.”)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” ( 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” answered Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”
48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 “Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” 51 And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
1 Iesākumā bija Vārds, un Vārds bija pie Dieva, un Vārds bija Dievs. 2 Tas bija iesākumā pie Dieva. 3 Caur Viņu viss ir radies, un bez Viņa nekas nav radies, kas ir. 4 Viņā bija dzīvība, un dzīvība bija cilvēku gaisma. 5 Gaisma spīd tumsībā, bet tumsība to neuzņēma. 6 Nāca cilvēks, Dieva sūtīts, vārdā Jānis. 7 Viņš nāca liecības dēļ, lai liecinātu par gaismu, lai visi nāktu pie ticības caur viņu. 8 Viņš pats nebija gaisma, bet nāca, lai liecinātu par gaismu. 9 Tas bija patiesais gaišums, kas nāca pasaulē, kas apgaismo ikvienu cilvēku. 10 Viņš bija pasaulē, un pasaule caur Viņu radusies, bet pasaule Viņu nepazina. 11 Viņš nāca pie savējiem, bet tie Viņu neuzņēma. 12 Bet, cik Viņu uzņēma, tiem Viņš deva varu kļūt par Dieva bērniem, tiem, kas tic Viņa Vārdam, 13 kas nav dzimuši ne no asinīm, ne no miesas iegribas, ne no vīra gribas, bet no Dieva. 14 Un Vārds tapa miesa un mājoja mūsu vidū, un mēs skatījām Viņa godību, tādu godību kā Tēva vienpiedzimušā Dēla, pilnu žēlastības un patiesības. 15 Jānis liecina par Viņu un sauc: "Šis ir Tas, par ko sacīju: kas pēc manis nāk, ir mani pārspējis, jo Viņš bija pirmāk nekā es." 16 Jo no Viņa pilnības mēs visi esam dabūjuši žēlastību un atkal žēlastību. 17 Jo bauslība ir dota caur Mozu, bet žēlastība un patiesība nākusi pasaulē caur Jēzu Kristu. 18 Dievu neviens nekad nav redzējis. Vienpiedzimušais Dēls, kas ir pie Tēva krūts, Tas mums Viņu ir darījis zināmu. 19 Šī ir Jāņa liecība, kad jūdi no Jeruzālemes sūtīja pie viņa priesterus un levītus, lai viņam jautātu: "Kas tu esi?" 20 Viņš atzinās un neliedzās, bet apliecināja: "Es neesmu Kristus." 21 Tad tie viņam jautāja: "Kas tad? Vai tu esi Elija?" Bet viņš saka: "Es tas neesmu." - "Vai tu esi gaidāmais pravietis?" Viņš atbildēja: "Nē." 22 Tad tie viņam sacīja: "Kas tu esi? Mums atbilde jādod tiem, kas mūs sūtījuši. Ko tu pats saki par sevi?" 23 Viņš teica: "Es esmu vēstneša balss, kas tuksnesī sauc: sataisait Tā Kunga ceļu, kā pravietis Jesaja ir sacījis." 24 Tos bija sūtījuši farizeji, 25 un tie viņam jautāja: "Ko tad tu kristī, ja tu neesi ne Kristus, ne Ēlija, ne gaidāmais pravietis?" 26 Jānis viņiem atbildēja: "Es kristīju ar ūdeni. Jūsu vidū stāv viens, ko jūs nepazīstat, 27 kas pēc manis nāk, kuram es neesmu cienīgs atraisīt kurpes siksnu." 28 Tas notika Betānijā, viņpus Jordānas, kur Jānis kristīja. 29 Otrā dienā Jānis ierauga nākam Jēzu un saka: "Redzi, Dieva Jērs, kas nes pasaules grēku. 30 Šis ir, par ko esmu sacījis: pēc manis nāk Vīrs, kas mani pārspējis, tāpēc ka Viņš bija pirmāk nekā es. 31 Es Viņu nepazinu; bet, lai Viņš kļūtu zināms Israēlam, tāpēc es nācu, kristīdams ar ūdeni." 32 Un Jānis liecināja, sacīdams: "Es redzēju Garu nonākam kā balodi no debesīm un paliekam uz Viņa. 33 Es Viņu nepazinu, bet Tas, kas mani sūtījis kristīt ar ūdeni, man sacīja: uz ko tu redzēsi Garu nonākam kā balodi no debesīm un paliekam, tas ir Viņš, kas kristīs ar Svēto Garu. 34 Un es esmu redzējis un liecinājis, ka Viņš ir Dieva Dēls." 35 Otrā dienā Jānis atkal stāvēja un divi no viņa mācekļiem. 36 Ieraudzījis Jēzu staigājam, viņš saka: "Redzi, Dieva Jērs!" 37 Šos vārdus dzirdēja abi mācekļi un sekoja Jēzum. 38 Bet Jēzus apgriezies redzēja viņus sekojam un saka viņiem: "Ko jūs meklējat?" Tie Viņam atbildēja: "Rabi (tulkojumā: mācītājs), kur Tu mājo?" 39 Viņš tiem sacīja: "Nāciet, tad redzēsit." Tad tie nogāja un redzēja, kur Viņš mājo, un palika to dienu pie Viņa. Tas bija ap desmito stundu. 40 Andrejs, Sīmaņa Pētera brālis, bija viens no tiem diviem, kas to no Jāņa bija dzirdējuši un bija Viņam sekojuši. 41 Viņš vispirms atrod savu brāli Sīmani un viņam saka: "Mēs esam atraduši Mesiju" (tulkojumā: svaidītais). 42 Viņš to aizveda pie Jēzus. Jēzus, viņu uzlūkojis, sacīja: "Tu esi Sīmanis, Jāņa dēls; tevi sauks Kēfa" (tulkojumā: Pēteris - klints). 43 Otrā dienā Jēzus gribēja doties uz Galileju. Viņš atrod Filipu un viņam saka: "Seko Man!" 44 Bet Filips bija no Betsaidas, Andreja un Pētera pilsētas. 45 Filips atrod Nātānaēlu un saka viņam: "Mēs esam To atraduši, par ko Mozus bauslībā un pravieši rakstījuši, Jēzu no Nacaretes, Jāzepa dēlu." 46 Nātānaēls viņam sacīja: "Vai no Nacaretes var nākt kas labs?" Filips viņam atbild: "Nāc un redzi!" 47 Jēzus redzēja Nātānaēlu nākam un saka par viņu: "Redzi, patiesi israēlietis, kurā nav viltības!" 48 Nātānaēls sacīja Viņam: "Kā Tu mani pazīsti?" Jēzus atbildēja viņam: "Pirms Filips tevi sauca, kad tu biji zem vīģes koka, Es tevi redzēju." 49 Nātānaēls atbildēja Viņam: "Rabi, Tu esi Dieva Dēls, Tu esi Israēla Ķēniņš!" 50 Jēzus viņam atbildēja: "Tu tici tāpēc, ka Es tev sacīju, ka redzēju tevi zem vīģes koka. Tu redzēsi lielākas lietas par šīm. 51 Patiesi, patiesi Es jums saku: jūs redzēsit debesis atvērtas un Dieva eņģeļus uzkāpjam un nokāpjam uz Cilvēka Dēlu."
