16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared1 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, bdeliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and csleep fled from him.
19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went din haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the eliving God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God fsent his angel and gshut the lions’ mouths, and they have hnot harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had itrusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
25 Then King Darius wrote jto all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 kI make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God,
enduring forever;
lhis kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues;
he works msigns and wonders
in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of nCyrus the Persian.
3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an qexcellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him rover the whole kingdom.
The Word Became Flesh
1 aIn the beginning bwas cthe Word, and the Word was dwith God, and ethe Word was God. 2 fHe was in the beginning with God. 3 gAll things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 hIn him was life,1 and the life was the ilight of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 jThere was a man ksent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a lwitness, mto bear witness about the light, nthat all might believe through him. 8 oHe was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true plight, which gives light qto everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,2 and rhis own people3 did not sreceive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, twho believed uin his name, he gave the right to become vchildren of God, 13 who were wborn, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word xbecame flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his yglory, glory as of the only zSon4 from the Father, full of agrace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, b‘He who comes after me ranks cbefore me, because he was dbefore me.’”) 16 For from his efullness we have all received, grace upon grace.5 17 For the law was given fthrough Moses; ggrace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 hNo one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who6 is iat the Father’s side,7 jhe has made him known.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 kAnd this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, l“I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? mAre you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you nthe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am othe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight8 the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 pThe next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, qthe Lamb of God, who rtakes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks sbefore me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John tbore witness: u“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize vwith water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes wwith the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the xSon9 of God.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35 yThe next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, z“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.10 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus11 was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the aMessiah” (which means bChrist). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. cYou shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter12).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, d“Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found eNathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom fMoses in the Law and also the gprophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, hthe son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, i“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, jin whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see kgreater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,13 you will see lheaven opened, and mthe angels of God ascending and descending on the nSon of Man.”
Jesus Calls Levi
27 wAfter this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, x“Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was ya large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you zeat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 aI have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
A Question About Fasting
33 bAnd they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the cbridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”1
