John 1:19-28

New International Reader's Version

John the Baptist Says That He Is Not the Messiah

¹⁹ The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John spoke the truth to them. ²⁰ He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet we’ve been expecting?” they asked.

“No,” he answered.

²² They asked one last time, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said, “I’m the messenger who is calling out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight.’ ” (Isaiah 40:3)

²⁴ The Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ asked him, “If you are not the Messiah, why are you baptizing people? Why are you doing that if you aren’t Elijah or the Prophet we’ve been expecting?”

²⁶ “I baptize people with water,” John replied. “But someone is standing among you whom you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.