The Word of Life
1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. 4 The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
6 God sent his messenger, a man named John, 7 who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. 9 This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.
10 The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. 12 Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. 13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.
14 The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
15 John spoke about him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’”
16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. 17 God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
John the Baptist's Message
(Matthew 3.1-12Mark 1.1-8Luke 3.1-18)19 The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No, I am not,” John answered.
“Are you the Prophet?” they asked.
“No,” he replied.
22 “Then tell us who you are,” they said. “We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah:
“I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert:
Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!’”
24 The messengers, who had been sent by the Pharisees, 25 then asked John, “If you are not the Messiah nor Elijah nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26 John answered, “I baptize with water, but among you stands the one you do not know. 27 He is coming after me, but I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.”
28 All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’ 31 I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel.”
32 And John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33 I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen it,” said John, “and I tell you that he is the Son of God.”
The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36 when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said.
37 The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. 38 Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They answered, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” (This word means “Teacher.”)
39 “Come and see,” he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.
40 One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 At once he found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (This word means “Christ.”) 42 Then he took Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock.”)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” ( 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” answered Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”
48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 “Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” 51 And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
Kristus eye Embo romuinyo
1 Ouye ngunda au hiya memwa, indi Embo tjandje opu ri ri; Embo ndi ra kara pu Ndjambi, nEmbo ondi ri Ndjambi. 2 Okuza kombutiro eye wa kara pu Ndjambi. 3 Ndjambi wa mema oviṋa avihe mu ye, nu nokuhinaye kape memenwe otjiṋa nangarire tjimwe mu imbi avihe mbya memwa. 4 Mu ye omu mwa za omuinyo, nomuinyo mbwi ombwa eta ondjerera kovandu. 5 Ondjerera i yera monḓorera, nonḓorera kai na pu ya zemisa ondjerera ndji.
6 Pa ri omurumendu ngwa hindirwe i Ndjambi, ena re ra ri Johanes. 7 Eye wa yendera okuhongononena ondjerera ndji ndje ya kovandu, kokutja avehe ve zuve indji ombuze nu ve kambure. 8 Eye kangwa ri ondjerera ndji, nungwari we era okuhongonona indji ondjerera. 9 Oyo ya ri ondjerera yatjiri, ndje ya mouye, nu ndji yera kombanda yovandu avehe.
10 Eye wa ri mouye, nu nangarire kutja Ndjambi wa mema ouye mu ye, ovandu mouye kave mu tjivirwe. 11 Eye we ere kehi re omuini, novandu ve omuini kave mu yakurire ko. 12 Nungwari imba tjiva mbe mu yakura nave kambura mu ye, eye we ve pa ousemba okurira ovanatje va Ndjambi. 13 Owo kaveya rira ovanatje va Ndjambi mokukwatwa otja ovandu tji ve kwatwa, okutja okukwatwa otja ovanatje mba za mu ihe omundu, nungwari Ndjambi omuini onguri Ihe yawo.
14 Nu indi Embo nde ura notjari nouatjiri ra rira omundu nari tura mokati ketu. Eṱe twa muna ongeṋangeṋeno ye, indji ongeṋangeṋeno ndja pewa i Ihe, otja ngu ri Omuna omukwatwa erike.
15 Johanes we mu hongonona na ravaere a tja: “Eye onguri ngwi ngu mba hungira indu tji mba tja: ‘Eye meya kombunda yandje, nungwari eye omunene pu ami, tjinga a kara ko rukuru ngunda ambi hiya kwatwa.’ ”
16 Nu momeurisiro wotjari tje, eye we tu sera ondaya, ne tu pe otjari nga kotjari. 17 Ndjambi wa yandjere Omatwako okupitira mu Moses, nungwari otjari nouatjiri ovyo vye ya okupitira mu Jesus Kristus. 18 Kape nomundu ngwa rorere okumuna Ndjambi. Omuna omukwatwa erike porwe, eye wina ngu ri Ndjambi nu ngu kara mekoro ra Ihe, eye ongwe mu tjiukisa.
Ombuze ya Johanes Omupapitise
(Mt 3:1-12Mk 1:1-8Lk 3:1-18)19 Ovanane vOvajuda mOjerusalem va hindire ovapristeri nOvalevi tjiva ku Johanes okukemupura nai: “Ove oove uṋe?”
20 Johanes ka panḓere okuzira, nungwari eye wa hungira oupaturuke noukahu ama tja: “Ami kawami Omutwirisiwa.”
21 Nowo ave pura ave tja: “Nu hapo oove uṋe?” “Oove Elia po?”
Johanes arire tja ziri a tja: “Kako ka tjiperi.”
Nowo va purire ave tja: “Oove omuprofete po?”
Neye a ziri: “Kako!”
22 Nowo arire tji va tja: “Nu tu raera kutja oove aṋi. Eṱe matu sokuyarura eziriro ku imba mbe tu hindi. Ove omuini mo rihongonona vi?”
23 Johanes wa zirire ama tamuna omambo womuprofete Jesaja a tja:
“Owami eraka rangu ma ravaere mokuti onguza:
Sembamisireye Muhona ondjira kutja eye a ryangere mo!”
24 Ovahindwa mba mba hindirwe i Ovafarisei 25 arire tji va pura Johanes ave tja: “Nu tji u he ri Omutwirisiwa poo Elia poo omuprofete, u papitisira tjike?”
26 Johanes a ziri a tja: “Ami mbi papitisa nomeva, nungwari mokati keṋu mwa kurama umwe ngu mu hi nokutjiwa. 27 Eye meya kombunda yandje, nami hi nokuyenena nangarire ingwi okukutura ozongute zozongaku ze.”
28 Oviṋa avihe mbi vya tjitirwa mObetanie munda mbwina yonḓonḓu Jordan, Johanes pu ya papitisire ovandu.
Ondjona ya Ndjambi
29 Mependukirwa, Johanes wa munine Jesus a meya ku ye, narire tja tja: “Ondjona ya Ndjambi, ndji isa po ourunde wouye, oyo ndji. 30 Eye ngwi ngu mba hungirire, indu tji mba tjere: ‘Kombunda yandje mape ya Omurumendu omunene okukapita ami, eye tjinga a kara po rukuru ngunda ambi hiya kwatwa.’ 31 Ami hiye tjiwa kutja eye ouṋe, nungwari ami mbe ya nu mbi papitisa nomeva kokutja eye a tjiukisiwe kotjiwaṋa tja Israel.”
32 Nu Johanes wa hongononene a tja: “Ami mba muna Ombepo amai rauka keyuru tjimuna onguti ai yekukara kombanda ye. 33 Ami omuini wina hiye tjiwa kutja onguri ye, nungwari Ndjambi ngwe ndji hinda okuyekupapitisa nomeva, wa tjere ku ami: ‘Ove mo munu Ombepo amai rauka nai yekukara kombanda yomundu umwe ngwi; eye onguri ye ngu ma papitisa nOmbepo Ondjapuke.’ 34 Ihi ami mba muna omuini, nopu me hongononene kutja eye Omuna wa Ndjambi.”
Ovahongewa ovatenga va Jesus
35 Mependukirwa, Johanes ngunda a kurama mbo rukwao puna ovahongewa ve vevari, 36 arire tja munu Jesus ama kapita mbo na tja: “Ondjona ya Ndjambi oyo ndjo!”
37 Ovahongewa vevari mba ve mu zuva ama hungire omambo nga nave kongorere Jesus. 38 Jesus wa tanauka, e ve munu amave mu kongorere ne ve pura a tja: “Mamu paha tjike?”
Owo va zirire ave tja: “Rabi, okutja Muhonge, ove u kara pi?”
39 Jesus a ziri a tja: “Indjeye mu katare.” Oiri ya ri mangara oine yomapeta. Nowo ave i puna ye ave kamuna poṋa pe sekira nave kauhara puna ye eyuva ndo.
40 Umwe wawo wa ri Andreas, omuangu wa Simon Petrus. 41 Tjimanga Andreas wa munine erumbi re Simon ne mu raere a tja: “Eṱe twa munu ingwi Messias.” (Okutja Omutwirisiwa). 42 Tjazumba a twara Simon ku Jesus.
Jesus we mu tara osemba na tja: “Ena roye oove Simon, omuzandu wa Johanes, nungwari mo isanewa Kefas, okutja Petrus, oruuwa.”
Jesus ma isana Filipus na Natanael
43 Mependukirwa, Jesus we rimanene okuyenda kOgalilea. Eye wa kavaza ko Filipus na tja ku ye: “Ndji kongorera!” 44 Filipus wa zire kObetsaida, otjihuro tjingetjo ku kwa zire Andreas na Petrus. 45 Filipus wa muna Natanael na tja ku ye: “Eṱe twa munu ingwi Moses ngwa tjangere membo rOmatwako, nu wina ovaprofete ngu va tjangere. Eye o Jesus, omuna wa Josef, ngwa zire kOnasaret.”
46 Natanael arire tja pura a tja: “Indu nai mOnasaret mamu sora okuza otjiṋa otjiwa are?”
Filipus a ziri a tja: “Indjo u katare.”
47 Nu Jesus tja munine Natanael a meya ku ye, arire tje mu tja: “Tara, ingwi tjiri Omuisrael, mu ye mu mu hi novineya!”
48 Natanael we mu purire a tja: “Mo ndji tjiwa vi?”
Jesus a ziri a tja: “Ami mbe ku muna tji wa ri kehi yomukuyumbwa, Filipus ngunda e hiye ku isana.”
49 Natanael wa zirire a tja: “Muhonge, oove Omuna wa Ndjambi; oove Ombara ya Israel.”
50 Jesus arire tja tja: “Ove wa kambura tjinga ambe ku raere kutja mbe ku muna kehi yomukuyumbwa are? Mo munu oviṋa ovinene tjinene pu imbi!” 51 Nu eye wa tjere ku wo: “Tjiri me mu raere: Mamu munu eyuru ara paturuka novaengeri va Ndjambi amave rondo nokurauka kombanda yOmuna wOmundu.”
