John:1

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* In the beginning , the Word existed . The Word was with God , and the Word was God . * He existed in the beginning with God . * Through him all things were made , and apart from him nothing was made that has been made . * In him was life , and that life brought light to humanity . * And the light shines on in the darkness , and the darkness has never put it out . * There was a man sent from God , whose name was John . * He came as a witness to testify about the light , so that all might believe through him . * He was not the light , but he came to testify about the light . * This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world . * He was in the world , and the world was made through him . Yet the world did not recognize him . * He came to his own creation , yet his own people did not receive him . * However , to all who received him , to those believing in his name , he gave authority to become God 's children , * who were born , not merely in a physical sense , or from a fleshly impulse , or from man 's desire , but of God . * The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us . We gazed on his glory , the kind of glory that belongs to the Father 's unique Son , full of grace and truth . * John told the truth about him when he cried out , “This is the person about whom I said , ‘The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me , because he existed before me .’” * From his fullness we have all received one gracious gift after another . * For while the law was given through Moses , grace and truth came through Jesus Christ . * No one has ever seen God . The unique God , who is close to the Father 's side , has revealed him . * This was John 's testimony when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him , “Who are you ?” * He spoke openly and did not deny it , but confessed , “I am not the Christ .” * So they asked him , “Well then , are you Elijah ?”He said , “I am not .”“Are you the Prophet ?”He answered , “No .” * Then they said to him , “Who are you ? We must give an answer to those who sent us . What do you say about yourself ?” * He replied , “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness ,‘Make the way of the Lord straight ,’”as the prophet Isaiah said . * Now they had been sent from the Pharisees . * They asked him , “Why , then , are you baptizing if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet ?” * John answered them , “I am baptizing with water , but among you stands a man whom you do not know , * the one who is coming after me , whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie .” * This happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan , where John was baptizing . * The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said , “Look , the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ! * This is the one about whom I said , ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me , because he existed before me .’ * I didn 't recognize him , but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel .” * John also testified , “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove , and it remained on him . * I didn 't recognize him , but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me , ‘The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit .’ * I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son of God .” * The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples . * As he watched Jesus walk by , he said , “Look , the Lamb of God !” * When the two disciples heard him say this , they followed Jesus . * But when Jesus turned around and saw them following , he said to them ,“What are you looking for ?”They said to him , “Rabbi ,” (which is translated “Teacher ”), “where are you staying ?” * He told them ,“Come , and you will see .” So they went and saw where he was staying , and they stayed with him that day . It was about four o 'clock in the afternoon . * Andrew , Simon Peter 's brother , was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus . * Andrew first found his brother Simon and said to him , “We have found the Messiah ” (which is translated “Christ ”). * He led Simon to Jesus . Jesus looked at him intently and said ,“You are Simon , the son of John . You will be called Cephas ” (which is translated “Peter ”). * The next day Jesus decided to go away into Galilee . He found Philip and said to him ,“Follow me .” * Now Philip was from Bethsaida , the hometown of Andrew and Peter . * Philip found Nathaniel and told him , “We have found the man about whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote —Jesus , the son of Joseph , from Nazareth .” * Nathaniel said to him , “Out of Nazareth ? What good can that be ?”Philip told him , “Come and see !” * Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said about him ,“Look , a true Israelite , in whom there is no falsehood !” * Nathaniel said to him , “How do you know me ?”Jesus answered him ,“Before Philip called you , while you were under the fig tree , I saw you .” * Nathaniel replied to him , “Rabbi , you are the Son of God ! You are the King of Israel !” * Jesus said to him ,“Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree ? You will see greater things than that .” * Then he said to him ,“Truly , truly I tell all of you ,you will see heaven standing open and the angels of God going up and coming down to the Son of Man .”

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