Common English Bible CEB
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
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In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The Word was with God in the beginning.
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He was already with God in the beginning.
3 Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being
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Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
4 through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people.
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He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn't extinguish the light.
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The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.
6 A man named John was sent from God.
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God sent a man named John to be his messenger.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light.
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John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message.
8 He himself wasn't the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light.
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John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
9 The true light that shines on all people was coming into the world.
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The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world.
10 The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn't recognize the light.
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He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn't recognize him.
11 The light came to his own people, and his own people didn't welcome him.
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He went to his own people, and his own people didn't accept him.
12 But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God's children,
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However, he gave the right to become God's children to everyone who believed in him.
13 born not from blood nor from human desire or passion, but born from God.
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These people didn't become God's children in a physical way--from a human impulse or from a husband's desire [to have a child]. They were born from God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
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The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth.
15 John testified about him, crying out, "This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than me because he existed before me.'"
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(John declared the truth about him when he said loudly, "This is the person about whom I said, 'The one who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.'")
16 From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace;
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Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is.
17 as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ.
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The Teachings were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made God known.
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No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, the one who is closest to the Father's heart, has made him known.
19 This is John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?"
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This was John's answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
20 John confessed (he didn't deny but confessed), "I'm not the Christ."
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John didn't refuse to answer. He told them clearly, "I'm not the Messiah."
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" John said, "I'm not." "Are you the prophet?" John answered, "No."
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They asked him, "Well, are you Elijah?" John answered, "No, I'm not." Then they asked, "Are you the prophet?" John replied, "No."
22 They asked, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
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So they asked him, "Who are you? Tell us so that we can take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 John replied, "I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make the Lord's path straight, just as the prophet Isaiah said."
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John said, "I'm a voice crying out in the desert, 'Make the way for the Lord straight,' as the prophet Isaiah said."
24 Those sent by the Pharisees
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Some of those who had been sent were Pharisees.
25 asked, "Why do you baptize if you aren't the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"
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They asked John, "Why do you baptize if you're not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?"
26 John answered, "I baptize with water. Someone greater stands among you, whom you don't recognize.
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John answered them, "I baptize with water. Someone you don't know is standing among you.
27 He comes after me, but I'm not worthy to untie his sandal straps."
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He's the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap."
28 This encounter took place across the Jordan in Bethany where John was baptizing.
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This happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
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John saw Jesus coming toward him the next day and said, "Look! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me.'
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He is the one I spoke about when I said, 'A man who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.'
31 Even I didn't recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel."
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I didn't know who he was. However, I came to baptize with water to show him to the people of Israel."
32 John testified, "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him.
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John said, "I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven and stay on him.
33 Even I didn't recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
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I didn't know who he was. But God, who sent me to baptize with water, had told me, 'When you see the Spirit come down and stay on someone, you'll know that person is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
34 I have seen and testified that this one is God's Son."
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I have seen this and have declared that this is the Son of God."
35 The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples.
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The next day John was standing with two of his disciples.
36 When he saw Jesus walking along he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!"
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John saw Jesus walk by. John said, "Look! This is the Lamb of God."
37 The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus.
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When the two disciples heard John say this, they followed Jesus.
38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, "What are you looking for?" They said, "Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?"
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Jesus turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which means "teacher"), "where are you staying?"
39 He replied, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.
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Jesus told them, "Come, and you will see." So they went to see where he was staying and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about ten o'clock in the morning.
40 One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
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Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John and followed Jesus.
41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Christ ).
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Andrew at once found his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ").
42 He led him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).
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Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at Simon and said, "You are Simon, son of John. Your name will be Cephas" (which means "Peter").
43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him,
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The next day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee. He found Philip and told him, "Follow me!"
44 "Follow me."Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
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(Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph's son, from Nazareth."
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Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the man whom Moses wrote about in his teachings and whom the prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, son of Joseph, from the city of Nazareth."
46 Nathanael responded, "Can anything from Nazareth be good?" Philip said, "Come and see."
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Nathanael said to Philip, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip told him, "Come and see!"
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
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Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and remarked, "Here is a true Israelite who is sincere."
48 Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
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Nathanael asked Jesus, "How do you know anything about me?" Jesus answered him, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are God's Son. You are the king of Israel."
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Nathanael said to Jesus, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!"
50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these!
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Jesus replied, "You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that."
51 I assure you that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One."
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Jesus said to Nathanael, "I can guarantee this truth: You will see the sky open and God's angels going up and coming down to the Son of Man."
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.