The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹And this is the otestimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, p“Who are you?” ²⁰qHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹And they asked him, “What then? rAre you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you sthe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²²So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³He said, “I am tthe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight8 the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) ²⁵They asked him, u“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶John answered them, v“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, ²⁷even whe who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Behold, the Lamb of God

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, xthe Lamb of God, who ytakes away the sin zof the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, a‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹I myself did not know him, but bfor this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²And John cbore witness: d“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and eit remained on him. ³³I myself did not know him, but fhe who sent me to baptize gwith water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, hthis is he who baptizes gwith the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son9 of God.”

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