John 1:1–28

The Word Became Flesh

1In the beginning was the Word,^a and the Word was with God,^b and the Word was God.^{c 2}He was with God in the beginning.^{d 3}Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.^{e 4}In him was life,^f and that life was the light^g of all mankind. ⁵The light shines in the darkness,^h and the darkness has not overcome^a it.ⁱ

⁶There was a man sent from God whose name was John.^{j 7}He came as a witness to testify^k concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.^{l 8}He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹The true light^m that gives light to everyoneⁿ was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,^o the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.^{p 12}Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed^q in his name,^r he gave the right to become children of God^s—¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.^t

¹⁴The Word became flesh^u and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,^v the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace^w and truth.^x

¹⁵(John testified^y concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”)^{z 16}Out of his fullness^a we have all received grace^b in place of grace already given. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses;^c grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^{d 18}No one has ever seen God,^e but the one and only Son, who is himself God and^bf is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

¹⁹Now this was John’s^g testimony when the Jewish leaders^ch in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”ⁱ

²¹They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”^j

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”^k

He answered, “No.”

²²Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,^l ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”^dm

²⁴Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶“I baptize with^e water,”ⁿ John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷He is the one who comes after me,^o the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”^p

²⁸This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,^q where John was baptizing.