Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

John Came Baptizing To Make Straight The Way of The Lord, As Isaiah Prophesied

¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews from Jerusalem sent-out priests and Levites to him in order that they might ask him, “Who are you?”, ²⁰ and he confessed and did not deny. And he confessed that “I am not the Christ”, ²¹ and they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he says, “I am not”. “Are you the^[a] Prophet?” And he answered, “No”. ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, in order that we may give an answer to the ones having sent us? What do you say about yourself ?” ²³ He said, “I am the ‘voice of one shouting in the wilderness: “Make-straight the way of the Lord”’, just as Isaiah the prophet said [in Isa 40:3]”. ²⁴ And they^[b] had been sent-out from the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John responded to them saying, “I am baptizing with^[c] water. Amidst you stands One Whom you do not know— ²⁷ the One coming after me, of Whom I am not worthy that I may untie the strap of His sandal”. ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.