John 1:1–18

The Word Became Flesh

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.^{* 2}He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being^{* 4}in him was life,^a and the life was the light of all people.^{* 5}The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

⁶There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^b*

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.^{* 11}He came to what was his own,^c and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,^{* 13}who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.^*

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,^d full of grace and truth.^{* 15}(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^{e* 17}The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^{* 18}No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who^f is close to the Father’s heart,^g who has made him known.^*