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.