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¹ In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.[xr] ² He existed in the beginning with God.[xr] ³ Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made.[xr] ⁴ In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.[fn][xr]

⁵ And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.[fn][xr] ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.[xr] ⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.[xr] ⁸ He was not the light, but he came[fn] to testify about the light. ⁹ This[fn] was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.[fn][xr] ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him.[xr] ¹¹ He came to his own creation,[fn] yet his own people did not receive him.[xr] ¹² However, to all who received him, to those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God's children,[xr] ¹³ who were born, not merely in a physical sense,[fn] or from a fleshly impulse, or from man's desire, but of God.[xr] ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and tabernacled[fn] among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father's unique Son,[fn] full of grace and truth.[xr]

¹⁵ 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.'"[xr] ¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received one gracious gift after another.[fn][xr] ¹⁷ For while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.[xr] ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. The unique God,[fn] who is close to the Father's side, has revealed him.[xr]

¹⁹ This was John's testimony when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"[xr] ²⁰ He spoke openly and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."[fn][xr] ²¹ So they asked him, "Well then, are you Elijah?"He said, "I am not.""Are you the Prophet?"He answered, "No."[xr] ²² Then they said to him, "Who are you? We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" ²³ He replied,[xr] "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make the way of the Lord straight,'"[fn] as the prophet Isaiah said. ²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, "Why, then, are you baptizing if you are not the Christ[fn] or Elijah or the Prophet?" ²⁶ John answered them, "I am baptizing with[fn] water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know,[xr] ²⁷ the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie."[xr] ²⁸ This happened in Bethany[fn] on the other side[fn] of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.[xr]

²⁹ The next day John[fn] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world![xr] ³⁰ This is the one about whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'[xr] ³¹ I didn't recognize him, but I came baptizing with[fn] water so that he might be revealed to Israel."[xr] ³² John also testified, "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.[xr] ³³ I didn't recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with[fn] water told me, 'The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with[fn] the Holy Spirit.'[xr] ³⁴ I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son[fn] of God." ³⁵ The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"[xr]

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ 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?" ³⁹ 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.[fn] ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.[fn][xr] ⁴¹ Andrew[fn] first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated "Christ").[fn] ⁴² He led Simon[fn] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, "You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas"[fn] (which is translated "Peter").[fn][xr]

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go away into Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.[xr] ⁴⁵ 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."[xr] ⁴⁶ Nathaniel said to him, "Out of Nazareth? What good can that be?" Philip told him, "Come and see!"[xr] ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said about him, "Look, a true Israelite, in whom there is no falsehood!"[xr] ⁴⁸ 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." ⁴⁹ Nathaniel replied to him, "Rabbi[fn] , you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"[xr] ⁵⁰ 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." ⁵¹ Then he said to him, "Truly, truly I tell all of you,[fn] you will see heaven standing open and the angels of God going up and coming down to the Son of Man."[xr]