^{19 Ref} And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to him with the question, Who are you?

^{20 Ref} He said quite openly and straightforwardly, I am not the Christ.

^{21 Ref} And they said to him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? And his answer was, I am not.

^{22 Ref} So they said to him, Who are you then? We have to give some answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?

^{23 Ref} He said, I am the voice of one crying in the waste land, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

^{24 Ref} Those who had been sent came from the Pharisees.

^{25 Ref} And they put this question to him, saying, Why then are you giving baptism if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet?

^{26 Ref} John's answer was: I give baptism with water; but there is one among you of whom you have no knowledge;

^{27 Ref} It is he who is coming after me; I am not good enough to undo his shoes.

^{28 Ref} These things took place at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was giving baptism.

^{29 Ref} The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

^{30 Ref} This is he of whom I said, One is coming after me who is put over me because he was in existence before me.

^{31 Ref} I myself had no knowledge of him, but I came giving baptism with water so that he might be seen openly by Israel.

^{32 Ref} And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him.

^{33 Ref} I had no knowledge who he was, but he who sent me to give baptism with water said to me, The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting, it is he who gives baptism with the Holy Spirit.

^{34 Ref} This I saw myself and my witness is that he is the Son of God.