John 1:15-36 John testified concerning Him and has cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me, has come to be before me, because He was before me.' "

CAB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹⁵ John testified concerning Him and has cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me, has come to be before me, because He was before me.' " ¹⁶ And out of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. ¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they might ask him, "Who are you?" ²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." ²¹ And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." ²² Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" ²³ He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' just as Isaiah the prophet said." ²⁴ Now those who had been sent were from the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" ²⁶ John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. ²⁷ He is the One who comes after me, who has come to be before me, of whom I am not worthy that I should loose the strap of His sandal." ²⁸ These things happened in Bethany, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the One about whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who ranks before me, because He was before me.' ³¹ "I did not know Him; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." ³² And John testified, saying, "I have beheld the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴ "And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." ³⁵ Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He was walking, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"