GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New King James Version NKJV
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was already with God in the beginning.
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He was in the beginning with God.
3 Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
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All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
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In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.
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And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 God sent a man named John to be his messenger.
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There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message.
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This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
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He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world.
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That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn't recognize him.
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He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He went to his own people, and his own people didn't accept him.
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He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 However, he gave the right to become God's children to everyone who believed in him.
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But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 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.
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who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 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.
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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (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.'")
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John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "
16 Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is.
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And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 The Teachings were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Jesus Christ.
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For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, the one who is closest to the Father's heart, has made him known.
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No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
19 This was John's answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
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Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
20 John didn't refuse to answer. He told them clearly, "I'm not the Messiah."
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He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Well, are you Elijah?" John answered, "No, I'm not." Then they asked, "Are you the prophet?" John replied, "No."
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And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
22 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?"
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Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"
23 John said, "I'm a voice crying out in the desert, 'Make the way for the Lord straight,' as the prophet Isaiah said."
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He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," ' as the prophet Isaiah said."
24 Some of those who had been sent were Pharisees.
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Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
25 They asked John, "Why do you baptize if you're not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?"
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And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26 John answered them, "I baptize with water. Someone you don't know is standing among you.
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John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
27 He's the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap."
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It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."
28 This happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
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These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 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.
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The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 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.'
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This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'
31 I didn't know who he was. However, I came to baptize with water to show him to the people of Israel."
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I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."
32 John said, "I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven and stay on him.
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And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
33 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.'
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I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
34 I have seen this and have declared that this is the Son of God."
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And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."
35 The next day John was standing with two of his disciples.
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Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
36 John saw Jesus walk by. John said, "Look! This is the Lamb of God."
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And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
37 When the two disciples heard John say this, they followed Jesus.
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The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 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?"
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Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"
39 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.
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He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John and followed Jesus.
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One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41 Andrew at once found his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ").
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He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).
42 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").
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And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
43 The next day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee. He found Philip and told him, "Follow me!"
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The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
44 (Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)
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Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 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."
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Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 Nathanael said to Philip, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip told him, "Come and see!"
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And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and remarked, "Here is a true Israelite who is sincere."
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Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
48 Nathanael asked Jesus, "How do you know anything about me?" Jesus answered him, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you."
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Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
49 Nathanael said to Jesus, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!"
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Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
50 Jesus replied, "You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that."
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Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these."
51 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."
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And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.