The Word [already] existed in the beginning [of time]. [Note: This is a reference to the preexistence of Jesus. See verse 14]. And the Word was with God and the Word was [what] God [was].

this one was in the beginning with God;

Everything came into being through this Word, and apart from Him not a single thing came into being.

In him life lay, and this life was the Light for men:

this one came for testimony, that he might testify about the Light, that all might believe through him;

This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.

who owe this birth of theirs to God, not to human blood, nor to any impulse of the flesh or of man.

[Eventually] this Word became a human being and lived among us [Note: The word "lived" here refers to pitching a temporary tent]. (And we saw His splendor; such splendor as belongs to the Father's only Son), full of God's favor and truth.

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

he own'd it, and did not deny it; but made this protestation, I am not the Christ.

And they put this question to him, saying, Why then are you giving baptism if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet?

John answered them, saying, 'I baptize with water, but in midst of you he hath stood whom ye have not known, this one it is who is coming after me, who hath been before me,

This is he coming after me, who was before me, of whom I am not worthy that I might loose the strings of his shoes.

All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.

And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him.

and I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, On whomsoever thou mayest see the Spirit coming down, and remaining on him, this is he who is baptizing with the Holy Spirit;

And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Then He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So, they went and saw where He was staying and they stayed with Him that day. It was about ten o'clock in the morning. [Note: Hour designations in this book are being calculated by Roman time, but this would have been

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard this from John and followed him.

this one doth first find his own brother Simon, and saith to him, 'We have found the Messiah,' (which is, being interpreted, The Anointed,)

The day after this, Jesus had a desire to go into Galilee. He came across Philip and said to him, Come and be my disciple.

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew's and Peter's home town. [Note: This town was on the northwest shore of Lake Galilee, a few miles from Capernaum].

[As] Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward Him, He said [this] about him, "Look, [there is] a true Israelite, a completely honest man!"

Jesus replied, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe [in Me]? You will see greater things than this.”

Jesus answered and said to him: Do you believe, be cause I said to you, I saw you under the fig-tree? You shall see greater things than these. And he said to him: Verily, verily I say to you, From this time you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Then on the third day [i.e., since Jesus' conversation with Nathaniel. See 1:47], a wedding took place in Cana in Galilee. [Note: This was a small town near Nazareth]. Jesus' mother was there

“What has this concern of yours to do with Me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.”

and said to him, "Everyone sets out the best wine first, and when people have had plenty to drink, he then sets out the poor quality [wine]. But you have kept the best wine until now." [Note: See Barnes Notes and The Gospel of John by Butler for evidence suggesting that this was not intoxicating wine].

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

But the Jewish Passover was approaching, and for this Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

This recalled to His disciples the words of Scripture, "My zeal for Thy House will consume me."

Then the Jews retorted, “What sign (attesting miracle) can You show us as [proof of] your authority for doing these things?”

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this;

When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

this one came unto him by night, and said to him, 'Rabbi, we have known that from God thou hast come -- a teacher, for no one these signs is able to do that thou dost, if God may not be with him.'

Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I tell you, a person cannot see the kingdom of God [i.e., enter it. See verse 5], unless he is born from above [Note: The words "from above" are also used in verse 31, but in this place they could also mean "again," or "anew" and refer to the source of a person's second birth].

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be possible?”

Jesus answered him, "You're the teacher of Israel, and you can't understand this?

For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

After these things Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and there He spent time with them and baptized.

For at this time John had not been put into prison.

and they came unto John, and said to him, 'Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou didst testify, lo, this one is baptizing, and all are coming unto him.'

And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven.

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

and what he has seen and has heard, this he testifies; and no one receives his testimony.

He that hath received his witness hath set his seal to this , that God is true.

Jacob's [spring-fed] well was there so Jesus, tired from His [long] journey, sat down beside the well just as He was [i.e., before doing anything else]. It was about six o'clock in the morning [Note: This would have been

The woman of Samaria said to him, Why do you, a Jew, make a request for water to me, a woman of Samaria? She said this because Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew [about] God’s gift [of eternal life], and who it is who says, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him [instead], and He would have given you living water (eternal life).”

The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket and the well is deep! From where then do you get this living water?

Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also?”

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

But whoever drinks of this water which I will give to him will never be thirsty for eternity, but the water which I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

At this, Jesus said, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly.

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

While this was taking place, the disciples were saying to Jesus, Master, take some food.

For in this is verified the true saying, It is one who sows and another who reaps.

I sent you [disciples] to harvest [a crop] that you did not work on; other people have done the work and you have reaped the results of their work." [Note: This is probably an allusion to the preliminary work of preaching done by John, the Immerser, with results occurring under the preaching of the apostles].

So on this the Samaritans came to him, and besought him to abide with them: and he tarried there two days.

And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

This man, [when he] heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, went to him and asked that he come down and heal his son, for he was about to die.

Then he asked them what the [exact] time was when his son began to get better. They said to him, "[It was] yesterday at seven o'clock in the morning that the fever left him." [Note: This would have been

The father realized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” Then he himself believed, along with his whole household.

This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew (Jewish Aramaic) Bethesda, having five porticoes (alcoves, colonnades).

This verse ommitted from translation

Jesus seeing this man lying there, and knowing that he was in that state now a great length of time, says to him, Wouldest thou become well?

And immediately the man was made well and picked up his cot and walked. Now this happened on the Sabbath day.

so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”

“Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked.

After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.”

And for this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.

But he answered them, My Father is working up to this time, and I work.

For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only brake the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

So Jesus made this further reply: "In truth I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself; he does only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does also.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

But I do not receive witness from man, but I say this that ye might be saved.

And you do not have his word residing in yourselves, because the one whom that one sent, in this one you do not believe.

I do not by this seek your applause.

But I know this of you, that you have not the love of God in your hearts.

After this, Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Tiberias).

Then Jesus went up to a high plateau [Note: This place, northeast of Lake Galilee, is called "The Golan Heights," today] and sat down there with His disciples.

So Jesus, looking up and seeing a large crowd coming to Him, said to Philip [Note: He was one of the apostles, whose home town was at nearby Bethsaida. See 1:44], "Where are we going to buy [enough] bread, so that this crowd can eat?"

And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fishes; but this, what is it for so many?

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.