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Saint John the Evangelist holding the open Gospel at In principio, his eagle above him

In the Beginning Was the Word

Saint John the Evangelist. The Gospel of John 1:1–18.

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. ⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light. ⁹That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ¹²But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name. ¹³Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ¹⁵John beareth witness of him, and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me, is preferred before me: because he was before me.

¹⁶And of his fulness we all have received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

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In the Beginning Was the Word
Saint John the Evangelist. The Gospel of John 1:1–18.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.
He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.
That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.
Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John beareth witness of him, and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me, is preferred before me: because he was before me.

And of his fulness we all have received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

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The Latin Vulgate

In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum.
Hoc erat in principio apud Deum.
Omnia per ipsum facta sunt: et sine ipso factum est nihil, quod factum est.
In ipso vita erat, et vita erat lux hominum:
et lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebræ eam non comprehenderunt.

Fuit homo missus a Deo, cui nomen erat Joannes.
Hic venit in testimonium ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine, ut omnes crederent per illum.
Non erat ille lux, sed ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine.
Erat lux vera, quæ illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum.
In mundo erat, et mundus per ipsum factus est, et mundus eum non cognovit.

In propria venit, et sui eum non receperunt.
Quotquot autem receperunt eum, dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri, his qui credunt in nomine ejus:
qui non ex sanguinibus, neque ex voluntate carnis, neque ex voluntate viri, sed ex Deo nati sunt.
Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis: et vidimus gloriam ejus, gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiæ et veritatis.
Joannes testimonium perhibet de ipso, et clamat dicens: Hic erat quem dixi: Qui post me venturus est, ante me factus est: quia prior me erat.

Et de plenitudine ejus nos omnes accepimus, et gratiam pro gratia:
quia lex per Moysen data est, gratia et veritas per Jesum Christum facta est.
Deum nemo vidit umquam: unigenitus Filius, qui est in sinu Patris, ipse enarravit.

English from the Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision, 1752), translated from the Latin Vulgate shown beside it. For centuries these verses were read at the end of every Mass as the Last Gospel.