²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,^(A) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”^[a](B)

²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’^{(A) 29} The bride belongs to the bridegroom.^(B) The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.^(C)