John 1:19–28

¹⁹And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent out of Jerusalem priests and Levites, that they might question him, ‘Who art thou?’ ²⁰and he confessed and did not deny, and confessed—‘I am not the Christ.’ ²¹And they questioned him, ‘What then? Elijah art thou?’ and he saith, ‘I am not.’—‘The prophet art thou?’ and he answered, ‘No.’ ²²They said then to him, ‘Who art thou, that we may give an answer to those sending us? what dost thou say concerning thyself?’ ²³He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.’ ²⁴And those sent were of the Pharisees, ²⁵and they questioned him and said to him, ‘Why, then, dost thou baptize, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ ²⁶John answered them, saying, ‘I baptize with water, but in midst of you he hath stood whom ye have not known, this one it is who is coming after me, who hath been before me, ²⁷of whom I am not worthy that I may loose the cord of his sandal.’ ²⁸These things came to pass in Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.