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].

He came as a witness
to testify about the light,
so that all might believe through him.

And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).

No one has ever seen God.
The One and Only Son—
the One who is at the Father’s side—
He has revealed Him.

They said therefore to him, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.

And I did not know him: but he that sent me baptising with water, he said to me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending as a dove, and resting upon him, that is he who baptiseth with the Holy Ghost.

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonah; you shall be called Cephas (which translated is, A stone).

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor duplicity!”

and said to him, "Everybody, as a rule, serves his good wine first, and his poorer wine after people have drunk freely; you have kept the good wine till now."

There in the Temple [area] He found people selling oxen, sheep and pigeons. [i.e., for use as sacrifices]. Also cashiers were sitting there. [Note: These people exchanged foreign coins so visitors to Jerusalem could make purchases and pay taxes].

Then He said to the pigeon-dealers, "Take these things out of here! Stop using my Father's house as a market place!"

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

But Jesus was speaking of his body as a temple.

who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), we know [without any doubt] that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting miracles] that You do unless God is with him.”

Nicodemus saith unto him, 'How is a man able to be born, being old? is he able into the womb of his mother a second time to enter, and to be born?'

Whoever is born from human parents is a human being; and whoever is born from the Holy Spirit is a spiritual being.

John answered, "No one can receive anything except as a gift from heaven.

You are yourselves witnesses that I said 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before him as a Messenger.'

"Sir," said the woman, "you have nothing to draw water with, and it is a deep well; where do you get your 'living' water?

Now our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, whereas you Jews declare the proper place for worship is at Jerusalem."

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

"Come, here is a man who has told me everything I ever did! Do you suppose he is the Christ?"

In this the saying is a true one, One does the planting, and another gets in the grain.

Now, this again, as, a second sign, Jesus did, after coming out of Judaea into Galilee.

Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

"I have no one, Sir," the afflicted man answered, "to put me into the Bath when there is a troubling of the water, and, while I am getting to it, some one else steps down before me."

the Jews then said to him that hath been healed, 'It is a sabbath; it is not lawful to thee to take up the couch.'

"Truly, truly, I tell you, the person who listens to my message and believes [in] the One who sent me [i.e., God] has never ending life [i.e., as a hope. See Titus 1:2; 3:7]. He will not be judged [and condemned], but has [already] passed from being [spiritually] dead to being [spiritually] alive.

and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.

Marvel not at this; because there is an hour coming, in which all who are in their tombs shall hear His voice,

"I can of my own self do nothing. As I am bidden, so I judge; and mine is a just judgement, because it is not my own will that guides me, but the will of Him who sent me.

"You sent to John, and he both was and still is a witness to the truth.

But the witness which I have is greater than that of John: the work which the Father has given me to do, the very work which I am now doing, is a witness that the Father has sent me.

for it was just before the passover, which is a feast of the Jews.

"There is a boy here," said Andrew, another of his disciples, Simon Peter's brother,

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

And as a strong wind was blowing, the waves ran high.

But it is as I have said to you: you have seen me and yet you do not believe.

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

The Spirit is what gives life; flesh is of no use at all. The things that I have said to you are spirit and they are life.

As a result, many of his disciples turned back and no longer associated with him.

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.

The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Many of the people, when they heard this saying said, "Of a truth, this is a Prophet."

Don't the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant of David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"

Is a man judged by our law before it has given him a hearing and has knowledge of what he has done?

{Joh 7:538:12: This passage is omitted as ungenuine by Tischendorf and most critical editors of the Greek Testament. It is found in some manuscripts, but not in the most ancient. It is, however, very generally regarded as a genuine relic of the teaching of Christ, though not forming a part of the fourth Gospel. I give it in the text of Tregelles, omitting the words which he incloses in brackets. Tregelles, however, does not suppose it to be genuine.} [And they went each to his house;

He who sent me is at my side; he has not left me alone; for I always do what pleases him."

Jesus answered them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you -- Every one who is committing sin, is a servant of the sin,

You people are doing the deeds of your father." Then they said to Jesus, "We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father, God himself."

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

He who is a child of God listens to God's words. You do not listen to them: and why? It is because you are not God's children."

Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am." [Note: The words "I am" were probably construed as a reference to being Deity. See Ex. 3:14].

So the neighbors, and those who used to know him as a beggar, said, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?”

Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

and he said -- 'He is a prophet.' The Jews, therefore, did not believe concerning him that he was blind and did receive sight, till that they called the parents of him who received sight,

But how he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. Ask him! {He is a mature adult}; he will speak for himself!"

Because of this his parents said, "{He is a mature adult}; ask him.")

Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.

Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.”

"If you were blind," answered Jesus, "you would have no sin; but as a matter of fact you boast that you see. So your sin remains!"

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

No one has taken it from me, but I am giving it as a free gift. I have the right to give it and I have the right to take it back. I have gotten this order from my Father."

And many of them said, He is a demoniac, and is mad; why do ye hear Him?

others said, 'These sayings are not those of a demoniac; is a demon able blind men's eyes to open?'

He said this, and after that said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him.”

and every one who is living and is a believer in me shall never, never die. Do you believe this?"

Then the Jews were saying, Behold, how He loved him as a friend!

Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

It was not as a mere man that he thus spoke. But being High Priest that year he was inspired to declare that Jesus was to die for the nation,

As a result, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews. Instead, he went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness. There he remained with his disciples.

now is a judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast forth;

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes and trusts in Me [as Savior—all those who anchor their hope in Me and rely on the truth of My message] will not continue to live in darkness.

and I know that it is a commission of eternal life: whatever therefore I say, I deliver just as the father directed me.

And [as] a dinner was taking place, [when] the devil had already put into the heart of Judas [son] of Simon Iscariot that he should betray him,

Peter said to Him, "[No], you will never wash my feet." Jesus replied to him, "If I do not wash you, you will not be able to participate with me [i.e., as a disciple]."

Jesus saith unto him - He that hath bathed himself, hath no need save as to the feetto get washed; but is pure, as a whole. And, ye, are, pure, but not ye, all.

For I gave you [this as] an example, so that you should do [in turn] as I did to you.

In most solemn truth I tell you that a servant is not superior to his master, nor is a messenger superior to him who sent him.

I am the true vine, and my father is a husbandman.

Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?

for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me as a friend, and you have believed that I came out from God.

"My kingdom," replied Jesus, "does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my subjects would have resolutely fought to save me from being delivered up to the Jews. But, as a matter of fact, my kingdom has not this origin."

So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.”

There is a custom to you, that I release unto you one during the passover. Then do you wish that I may release unto you the King of the Jews?

As a result of this, Pilate kept making efforts to release Him, but the Jews kept screaming, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anyone who makes himself out [to be] a king opposes Caesar [and rebels against the emperor]!”

Now when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier, and the tunic remained. (Now the tunic was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.)

So they received the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen-bandages with the spices, - just as it is, a custom, with the Jews to prepare for burial.

Upon saying this, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, "[Be willing to] receive the Holy Spirit." [Note: This "breathing" served as a pledge of the Holy Spirit which actually came on these apostles a few weeks later. See Acts 1:5-8; 2:4].