The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the (A)testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, (B)“Who are you?” 20 (C)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? (D)Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you (E)the 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 (F)the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[a] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, (G)“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, (H)“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even (I)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.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:23 Or crying out, ‘In the wilderness make straight

John the Baptist’s Testimony

19 This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem(A) sent priests(B) and Levites(C) to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”(D)

21 “What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?” (E)

“I am not,” he said.

“Are you the Prophet?” (F)

“No,” he answered.

22 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord[a](G)—just as Isaiah(H) the prophet said.”

24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.(I) 25 So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[b] water,”(J) John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. 27 He is the one coming after me,[c](K) whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” 28 All this happened in Bethany[d] across the Jordan,(L) where John was baptizing.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:23 Is 40:3
  2. 1:26 Or in, also in vv. 31,33
  3. 1:27 Other mss add who came before me
  4. 1:28 Other mss read in Bethabara