The Word Became a Human Being
1In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. 4Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. 5The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light.
6There was a man sent from God. His name was John. 7He came to be a witness about that light. He was a witness so that all people might believe. 8John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light.
9The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10The Word was in the world. And the world was made through him. But the world did not recognize him. 11He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him. 12Some people did accept him and did believe in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. 13To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.
14The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.
15John was a witness about the Word. John cried out and said, “This was the one I was talking about. I said, ‘He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.’ ” 16God is full of grace. From him we have all received grace in place of the grace already given. 17In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father’s side. The one at the Father’s side has shown us what God is like.
John the Baptist Says That He Is Not the Messiah
19The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John spoke the truth to them. 20He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet we’ve been expecting?” they asked.
“No,” he answered.
22They asked one last time, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said, “I’m the messenger who is calling out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight.’ ” (Isaiah 40:3)
24The Pharisees who had been sent 25asked him, “If you are not the Messiah, why are you baptizing people? Why are you doing that if you aren’t Elijah or the Prophet we’ve been expecting?”
26“I baptize people with water,” John replied. “But someone is standing among you whom you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”
28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.
What John Says About Jesus
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look! The Lamb of God! He takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I was talking about. I said, ‘A man who comes after me is more important than I am. That’s because he existed before I was born.’ 31I did not know him. But God wants to make it clear to Israel who this person is. That’s the reason I came baptizing with water.”
32Then John told them, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven like a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus. 33I myself did not know him. But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and remain on someone. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen it happen. I am a witness that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36He saw Jesus walking by. John said, “Look! The Lamb of God!”
37The two disciples heard him say this. So they followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned around and saw them following. He asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Rabbi means Teacher.
39“Come,” he replied. “You will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying. They spent the rest of the day with him. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
40Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew was one of the two disciples who heard what John had said. He had also followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon. He told him, “We have found the Messiah.” Messiah means Christ. 42And he brought Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.” Cephas means Peter, or Rock.
Jesus Chooses Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. So were Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the Law. The prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Here is what Jesus said about him. “He is a true Israelite. Nothing about him is false.”
48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. I saw you there before Philip called you.”
49Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel.”
50Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51Then he said to the disciples, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You will see heaven open. You will see the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
Mawu Asandulika Thupi
1Pachiyambi panali Mawu, ndipo Mawu anali kwa Mulungu, ndipo Mawu ndiye Mulungu. 2Mawuwa anali ndi Mulungu pachiyambi.
3Zinthu zonse zinalengedwa ndi Iye; ndipo popanda Iye sikukanakhala kanthu kalikonse kolengedwa. 4Mwa Iye munali moyo, ndipo moyowo unali kuwunika kwa anthu. 5Kuwunika kunawala mu mdima, koma mdimawo sunakuzindikire.
6Kunabwera munthu amene anatumizidwa kuchokera kwa Mulungu; Iyeyo dzina lake linali Yohane. 7Iye anabwera ngati mboni kudzachitira umboni kuwunikako kuti kudzera mwa iye anthu onse akhulupirire. 8Iyeyu sanali kuwunika; koma anabwera ngati mboni ya kuwunika. 9Kuwunika koona kumene kuwunikira munthu aliyense kunabwera ku dziko lapansi.
10Iye anali mʼdziko lapansi, ndipo ngakhale kuti dziko lapansi linalengedwa ndi Iye, dziko lapansilo silinamuzindikire Iye. 11Iye anabwera kwa iwo amene anali akeake, koma akewo sanamulandire Iye. 12Koma kwa onse amene anamulandira Iye, kwa amene anakhulupirira mʼdzina lake, Iye anawapatsa mphamvu yokhala ana a Mulungu; 13ana wobadwa osati monga mwachilengedwe, kapena chisankho cha munthu, kapena chifuniro cha mwamuna koma wobadwa mwa Mulungu.
14Mawu anasandulika thupi ndipo anakhala pakati pathu. Ife tinaona ulemerero wake, ulemerero wa Iye amene ndi Mwana mmodzi yekhayo wa Atate, wodzaza ndi chisomo ndi choonadi.
15Yohane achitira umboni za Iye. Iye akufuwula kuti, “Uyu ndi Iye amene ndinati, ‘Iye amene akubwera pambuyo panga ndi wondiposa ine chifukwa, Iyeyo analipo ine ndisanabadwe.’ ” 16Kuchokera mʼkuchuluka kwa chisomo chake ife tonse talandira madalitso pamwamba pa madalitso. 17Pakuti lamulo linapatsidwa kudzera mwa Mose; chisomo ndi choonadi zinabwera kudzera mwa Yesu Khristu. 18Palibe munthu amene anaona Mulungu, koma Mwana mmodzi yekhayo amene ali wa pamtima pa Atate, ndiye anafotokoza za Iye.
Yohane Mʼbatizi Akana kuti Iye ndi Khristu
19Tsopano uwu ndi umboni wa Yohane pamene Ayuda a ku Yerusalemu anatumiza ansembe ndi Alevi kudzamufunsa kuti iye anali yani. 20Iye sanalephere kuvomereza, koma iye anavomereza momasuka kuti, “Ine sindine Khristu.”
21Iwo anamufunsa kuti, “Nanga iwe ndiwe yani? Kodi ndiwe Eliya?”
Iye anati, “Sindine.”
“Kodi ndiwe Mneneri?”
Iye anayankha kuti, “Ayi.”
22Pomaliza iwo anati, “Ndiwe yani? Tipatse yankho kuti tipite nalo kwa amene anatituma. Kodi iwe ukuti chiyani za iwe mwini?”
23Yohane anayankha ndi mawu a mneneri Yesaya kuti, “Ine ndi mawu a wofuwula mʼchipululu, ‘Wongolani njira ya Ambuye.’ ”
24Tsopano Afarisi ena amene anatumidwa 25anamufunsa Iye kuti, “Kodi ndi chifukwa chiyani, umabatiza ngati iwe si Khristu, kapena Eliya, kapena Mneneri?”
26Yohane anayankha kuti, “Ine ndimabatiza ndi madzi, koma pakati panu payima amene simukumudziwa. 27Iye ndi amene akubwera pambuyo panga, ine siwoyenera kumasula zingwe za nsapato zake.”
28Zonsezi zinachitika ku Betaniya kutsidya lina la mtsinje wa Yorodani, kumene Yohane ankabatizira.
Yesu Mwana Wankhosa wa Mulungu
29Pa tsiku lotsatira Yohane anaona Yesu akubwera kwa iye ndipo anati, “Taonani, Mwana Wankhosa wa Mulungu, amene achotsa tchimo la dziko lapansi! 30Uyu ndi amene ndimatanthauza pamene ndinanena kuti, ‘Munthu amene akubwera pambuyo panga ndi wondiposa ine chifukwa analipo ine ndisanabadwe.’ 31Ine mwini sindinamudziwe Iye, koma ndinabwera kubatiza ndi madzi kuti Iye adziwike mu Israeli.”
32Kenaka Yohane anapereka umboni uwu: “Ine ndinaona Mzimu Woyera ngati nkhunda kuchokera kumwamba nakhala pa Iye. 33Ine sindikanamudziwa Iye, koma kuti amene anandituma ine kudzabatiza ndi madzi anati kwa ine, ‘Munthu amene udzaona Mzimu Woyera akutsika nakhazikika pa Iye ndi amene adzabatize ndi Mzimu Woyera.’ 34Ine ndaona ndipo ndikuchitira umboni kuti uyu ndi Mwana wa Mulungu.”
Ophunzira Oyamba a Yesu
35Pa tsiku lotsatira Yohane analinso pamenepo pamodzi ndi awiri a ophunzira ake. 36Iye ataona Yesu akudutsa anati, “Taonani Mwana Wankhosa wa Mulungu!”
37Ophunzira ake awiriwo atamva iye akunena izi, iwo anamutsatira Yesu. 38Atatembenuka, Yesu anaona iwo akumutsatira ndipo anawafunsa kuti, “Kodi mukufuna chiyani?”
Iwo anati, “Rabi (kutanthauza kuti Aphunzitsi), kodi mukukhala kuti?”
39Iye anayankha kuti, “Bwerani mudzaone.”
Choncho iwo anapita ndi kukaona kumene Iye amakhala, ndipo anakhala naye tsiku limenelo. Linali ngati pafupifupi ora la khumi.
40Andreya mʼbale wake wa Simoni Petro, anali mmodzi wa awiriwo amene anamva zimene Yohane ananena ndiponso amene anamutsata Yesu. 41Choncho chimene Andreya anachita ndi kukapeza mʼbale wake Simoni ndipo anamuwuza kuti, “Ife tamupeza Mesiya,” (kutanthauza kuti Khristu).
42Kenaka iye anabweretsa Simoni kwa Yesu, amene anamuyangʼana ndipo anati, “Iwe ndiwe Simoni, mwana wa Yohane. Udzatchedwa Kefa” (limene litanthauza kuti Petro).
Yesu Ayitana Filipo ndi Natanieli
43Pa tsiku lotsatira Yesu anaganiza zopita ku Galileya. Atamupeza Filipo, anati kwa iye, “Nditsate.”
44Filipo monga Andreya ndi Petro, anali wochokera ku mzinda mudzi Betisaida. 45Filipo anakapeza Natanieli ndipo anamuwuza kuti, “Ife tapeza amene Mose analemba za Iye mʼmalamulo, ndi zimene aneneri analembanso za Iye, Yesu wa ku Nazareti, mwana wa Yosefe.”
46Natanieli anafunsa kuti, “Nazareti! Kodi kanthu kalikonse kabwino kangachokere kumeneko?”
Filipo anati, “Bwera udzaone.”
47Yesu atamuona Natanieli akuyandikira, anati kwa iye, “Uyu ndi Mwisraeli weniweni, mwa iye mulibe chinyengo.”
48Natanieli anafunsa kuti, “Kodi mwandidziwa bwanji?”
Yesu anayankha kuti, “Ine ndinakuona iwe utakhala pansi pamtengo wamkuyu Filipo asanakuyitane.”
49Kenaka Natanieli ananena kuti, “Rabi, Inu ndinu Mwana wa Mulungu; Inu ndinu Mfumu ya Israeli.”
50Yesu anati, “Ukukhulupirira chifukwa chakuti ndakuwuza kuti Ine ndinakuona iwe uli pansi pamtengo wamkuyu? Iwe udzaona zinthu zazikulu kuposa izo.” 51Ndipo Iye anapitirira kuti, “Zoonadi, Ine ndikuwuza kuti iwe udzaona kumwamba, kutatsekuka ndi angelo a Mulungu akukwera ndi kutsika pa Mwana wa Munthu.”
