The Prologue of the Gospel of St John

(John 1:1-14)
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, In the beginning was the Word,
καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, and the Word was with God,
καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος. and the Word was God.

Οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. He was in the beginning with God.
πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, All things came into being through him,
καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν. and without him not one thing came into being.

Ἦν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, What has come into being in him was life,
καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. and the life was the light of all people.
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, The light shines in the darkness,
καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν. and the darkness did not overcome it.

Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, There was a man

ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ Θεοῦ, sent from God,
ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης. whose name was John.

Οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, He came as a witness

ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός,
ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι’ αὐτοῦ.
οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς,
ἀλλ’ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός.
Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν,
ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον,
ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He himself was not the light,
but he came to testify to the light.
The true light,
which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world.

Ἦν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, He was in the world,

καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, and the world came into being through him;
καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. yet the world did not know him.

Ἦἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν, He came to what was his own,

καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. and his own people did not accept him.

ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, But to all who received him,

ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς who believed in his name,
ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, he gave power to become children of God,
τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, who were born,
οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων not of blood
οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς or of the will of the flesh
οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς or of the will of man,
ἀλλ’ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν. but of God.

Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο And the Word became flesh

καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, and lived among us,
καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, and we have seen his glory,
δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός, the glory as of a father’s only son,
πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. full of grace and truth.