John 1:15–28

¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^{e* 17}The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^{* 18}No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who^f is close to the Father’s heart,^g who has made him known.^*

The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”^{h* 21}And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”^{* 22}Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³He said,

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

‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ ”

as the prophet Isaiah said.^*

²⁴Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah,ⁱ nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” ²⁶John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, ²⁷the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” ²⁸This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.