John 1:15-23 John bore witness of him and cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'"

Common⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹⁵ John bore witness of him and cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'" ¹⁶ And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. ¹⁹ Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" ²⁰ He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 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? Give us an answer for 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,' as the prophet Isaiah said."