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A Voice in the Wilderness

19 And this is (A)the witness of John, when (B)the [a]Jews sent to him priests and Levites (C)from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “(D)I am not the [b]Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you (E)Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you (F)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Therefore, they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am (G)a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the [c]Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the [d]Christ, nor Elijah, nor (H)the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “(I)I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 This One is (J)He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the (K)strap of His sandal.” 28 These things took place in Bethany (L)beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:19 Often refers to Jewish leaders in John’s gospel
  2. John 1:20 Messiah
  3. John 1:23 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 40:3
  4. John 1:25 Messiah

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