John 1:19–29

The Testimony of John

¹⁹This is ^athe testimony of John, when ^bthe Jews sent to him priests and Levites ^cfrom Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “^aI am not ¹the Christ.”

²¹They asked him, “What then? Are you ^aElijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you ^bthe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

²²Then 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?”

²³He said, “I am ^aa voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

²⁴Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

²⁵They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the ¹Christ, nor Elijah, nor ^athe Prophet?”

²⁶John answered them saying, “^aI baptize ¹in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.

²⁷“It is ^aHe who comes after me, the ^bthong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

²⁸These things took place in Bethany ^abeyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, ^athe Lamb of God who ^btakes away the sin of the world!