John 1:19–34

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!

³⁰“This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘^aAfter me comes a Man who ¹has a higher rank than I, ^bfor He existed before me.’

³¹“I did not recognize ¹Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing ²in water.”

³²John ^atestified saying, “^bI have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.

³³“I did not recognize ¹Him, but He who sent me to baptize ²in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, ^athis is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

³⁴“I myself have seen, and have testified that this is ^athe Son of God.”