John 1:19-42
Evangelical Heritage Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
19 This is the testimony John gave when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites[a] to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed and did not deny. He confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “Who are you then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
“No,” he answered.
22 Then they asked him, “Who are you? Tell us so we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’[b] just as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24 They had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 So they asked John, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with water,” John answered. “Among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one coming after me,[c] whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
28 These things happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me outranks me because he existed before me.’ 31 I myself did not know who he was, but I came baptizing with water so that he would be revealed to Israel.”
32 John also testified, “I saw the Spirit descend like a dove from heaven and remain on him. 33 I myself did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this myself and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
The First Disciples
35 The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36 When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
38 When Jesus turned around and saw them following him, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 He told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying. They stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.[d]
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “the Christ”).[e] 42 He brought him to Jesus.
Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, son of Jonah.[f] You will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).[g]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 1:19 Some witnesses to the text add to him.
- John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
- John 1:27 Some witnesses to the text add who existed before me (see 1:30 where this clause is definitely part of the text).
- John 1:39 10 am (Roman civil time) or 4 pm (Jewish time). John seems to use Roman civil time in 19:14 (compare Mark 15:25). John also seems to use Roman civil time in 20:19, because the evening is considered part of the first day of the week. Roman civil time began a new day at midnight. Jewish time regarded sunset as the beginning of a new day.
- John 1:41 Messiah is the Hebrew/Aramaic word for Anointed One. Christ is the Greek word for Anointed One.
- John 1:42 Some witnesses to the text have John.
- John 1:42 Both the Aramaic word Cephas and the Greek word Peter (Petros) are masculine nouns that mean rock.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.