John 3:22–30

²²After these things came Jesus and his disciples to the land of Judea, and there he did tarry with them, and was baptizing; ²³and John was also baptizing in Aenon, nigh to Salem, because there were many waters there, and they were coming and were being baptized— ²⁴for John was not yet cast into the prison— ²⁵there arose then a question from the disciples of John with some Jews about purifying, ²⁶and they came unto John, and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou didst testify, lo, this one is baptizing, and all are coming unto him.’ ²⁷John answered and said, ‘A man is not able to receive anything, if it may not have been given him from the heaven; ²⁸ye yourselves do testify to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am having been sent before him; ²⁹he who is having the bride is bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom, who is standing and hearing him, with joy doth rejoice because of the voice of the bridegroom; this, then, my joy hath been fulfilled.

³⁰‘Him it behoveth to increase, and me to become less;