¹⁹Now this was John’s^g testimony when the Jewish leaders^c^h in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”ⁱ

²¹They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”^j

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”^k

He answered, “No.”

²²Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,^l ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”^d^m

²⁴Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶“I baptize with^e water,”ⁿ John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷He is the one who comes after me,^o the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”^p

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Footnotes

cThe Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
d Isaiah 40:3
eOr in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)

Cross references

gSee Mt 3:1
h Jn 2:18; 5:10, 16; 6:41, 52; 7:1; 10:24
i Jn 3:28; Lk 3:15, 16
jSee Mt 11:14
k Dt 18:15
l Mt 3:1
m Isa 40:3
nSee Mk 1:4
over 15, 30
p Mk 1:7

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

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

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

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

“I am not,” he said.

“Are you the Prophet?”

“No,” he answered.

“Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

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

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

“I baptize with water,” John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.”

NLTNew Living Translation

This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” he replied.

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”

“No.”

“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,

‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’ ”

Then the Pharisees who had been sent asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they could ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed—and he did not deny, and confessed—“I am not the Christ!” And they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No!” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

He said,

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’

just as Isaiah the prophet said.” (And they had been sent from the Pharisees.) And they asked him and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water. In your midst stands one whom you do not know—the one who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!”

KJV 1900King James Version

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

Public Domain