⁶ There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.

¹⁹ And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? ²⁰ And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ. ²¹ And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No. ²² They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? ²³ He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as ^[a]said Isaiah the prophet. ^24 [b]And they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet? ²⁶ John answered them, saying, I baptize ^[c]in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not, ²⁷ even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. ²⁸ These things were done in ^[d]Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.