In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him came into being, not one thing. In Him is life, and life is the light of men. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
There came John, sent from God. He came for a testimony of the light that all through Him might believe. He was not the light but came that he might testify of the light. The true light, which, coming into the world, gives light to every man.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world knew Him not. He came to His own country, and His own people received Him not, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those that believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.
The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Created of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John testified of Him and cried, “This was He of whom I said, He that comes after me has been advanced before me because He was before me.”
Of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace. The law was given through Moses, the grace and the truth came through Jesus the Anointed One. No one has seen God at any time. The only created Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.
The testimony of John is this: When the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and said, “I am not the Anointed One.”
They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”
They asked him, “Are you a prophet?” He answered, “No.”
They then said to him, “Who are you? That we may give an answer to those that sent us, what say you of yourself?” He replied, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.”
Some that had been sent from the Pharisees asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Anointed One, Elijah or the prophet?” John said, “I baptize in water, in the midst of you there stands one that you know not, He that comes after me, the latchet of whose sandal I am not worthy to free.” These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
On the next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said after me comes a man who has advanced before me because He was before me. I knew Him not, but that He might be manifested to Israel, have I come baptizing in water.”
John said, “I saw the Spirit descending, like a dove, from heaven upon Him. I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize in water said to me: ‘On whom you will see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is He that baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen, and I have testified that this is the Son of God.”
On the next day, again, John and two of his disciples stood looking at Jesus as He walked. John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him speaking and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi, where do you stay?”
He said, “Come and see.” They saw where He stayed, and continued with Him that day, it was about the tenth hour.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, followed Him, and he found his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messiah.”
He brought him to Jesus. Looking upon him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of Joanna, you will be called Cephas.” Which is translated as “Peter.”
On the next day He went forth into Galilee and found Philip, and Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. He found Nathaniel and said to him, “We have found Him of whom wrote Moses in the law, and the prophets, Jesus, who is of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to Him and said concerning him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.”
Nathaniel said to Him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathaniel answered Him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel.” Jesus said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, you believe? You will see greater things than these.”