John 1:19–34

JOHN THE BAPTIST’S TESTIMONY

¹⁹This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem^an sent priests^ao and Levites^ap to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”^aq

²¹“What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?”^ar

“I am not,” he said.

“Are you the Prophet?”^as

“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?”

²³He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord^Lat—just as Isaiah^au the prophet said.”

²⁴Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.^{av 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 water,”^aw John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. ²⁷He is the one coming after me,^Bax whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” ²⁸All this happened in Bethany^C across the Jordan,^ay where John was baptizing.

THE LAMB OF GOD

²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^az who takes away the sin^ba of the world! ³⁰This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹I didn’t know him,^bb but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed^bc to Israel.” ³²And John testified, “I saw the Spirit^bd descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him.^{be 33}I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’^{bf 34}I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”^Da