John 1:19-42

Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

John the Baptist’s Testimony

¹⁹ This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem^(A) sent priests^(B) and Levites^(C) to ask him, ‘Who are you? ’

²⁰ He didn’t deny it but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’^(D)

²¹ ‘What then? ’ they asked him. ‘Are you Elijah? ’^(E)

‘I am not,’ he said.

‘Are you the Prophet? ’^(F)

‘No,’ he answered.

²² ‘Who are you, then? ’ they asked. ‘We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself? ’

²³ He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord^[a](G) – just as Isaiah^(H) the prophet said.’

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.^{(I) 25} So they asked him, ‘Why then do you baptise if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet? ’

²⁶ ‘I baptise with^[b] water,’^(J) John answered them. ‘Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. ²⁷ He is the one coming after me,^[c](K) whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.’ ²⁸ All this happened in Bethany^[d] across the Jordan,^(L) where John was baptising.

The Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God,^(M) who takes away the sin^(N) of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I told you about: “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.” ³¹ I didn’t know him,^(O) but I came baptising with water so that he might be revealed^(P) to Israel.’ ³² And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit^(Q) descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him.^{(R) 33} I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on – he is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.”^{(S) 34} I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’^[e](T)

³⁵ The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God! ’

³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. ³⁸ When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, ‘What are you looking for? ’

They said to him, ‘Rabbi’^(U) (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying? ’

³⁹ ‘Come and you’ll see,’ he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.^[f]

⁴⁰ Andrew,^(V) Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and told him, ‘We have found the Messiah’^[g](W) (which is translated ‘the Christ’),^{(X) 42} and he brought Simon to Jesus.

When Jesus saw him, he said, ‘You are Simon, son of John.^[h] You will be called Cephas’^(Y) (which is translated ‘Peter’^[i]).