John Testifies to the Authorities

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And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

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He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

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“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

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So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

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John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

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Then the Pharisees who had been sent

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asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

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“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know.

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He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

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All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.