John 1:20-30

20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "¹I am not ^[a]the Christ."

21 They asked him, "What then? Are you ²Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you ³the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"

23 He said, "I am ⁴A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said."

24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

25 They asked him, and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the ^[b]Christ, nor Elijah, nor ⁵the Prophet?"

26 John answered them saying, "⁶I baptize ^[c]in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.

27 "It is ⁷He who comes after me, the ⁸thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."

28 These things took place in Bethany ⁹beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, ¹⁰the Lamb of God who ¹¹takes away the sin of the world!

30 "This is He on behalf of whom I said, '¹²After me comes a Man who ^[d]has a higher rank than I, ¹³for He existed before me.'

Cross References

• 1. Luke 3:15; John 3:28
• 2. Matthew 11:14; Matthew 16:14
• 3. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; Matthew 21:11; John 1:25
• 4. Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4
• 5. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; Matthew 21:11; John 1:21
• 6. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5
• 7. Matthew 3:11; John 1:30
• 8. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16
• 9. John 3:26; John 10:40
• 10. Isaiah 53:7; John 1:36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6, 8, 12; Revelation 6:1
• 11. Matthew 1:21; 1 John 3:5
• 12. Matthew 3:11; John 1:27
• 13. John 1:15

Footnotes

• [a] I.e. the Messiah
• [b] I.e. Messiah
• [c] The Gr here can be translated "in, with" or "by"
• [d] Lit "has become before me"