The Baptism of Jesus

^13 (A)Then Jesus came ^(B)from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ^14 (C)John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, ^(D)the heavens were opened to him,^[a] and he ^(E)saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, ^(F)a voice from heaven said, ^(G)“This is my beloved Son,^[b] with whom I am well pleased.”

The Baptism of Jesus

^9 (A)In those days Jesus ^(B)came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And when he came up out of the water, immediately he ^(C)saw ^(D)the heavens being torn open ^(E)and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And ^(F)a voice came from heaven, ^(G)“You are my beloved Son;^[a] with you I am well pleased.”

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when ^(A)Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, ^(B)the heavens were opened, ²² and ^(C)the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and ^(D)a voice came from heaven, ^(E)“You are my beloved Son;^[a] with you I am well pleased.”^[b]

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.