John 3:22–30

John the Baptist Gives Witness About Jesus

²²After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside of Judea. There he spent some time with them. And he baptized people there.

²³John was also baptizing. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water. People were coming all the time to be baptized. ²⁴That was before John was put in prison.

²⁵Some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people “clean.” ²⁶They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing people. He is the one you gave witness about. Everyone is going to him.”

²⁷John replied, “A person can receive only what God gives him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ. I was sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰He must become more important. I must become less important.