25. questioned him, ‘Why then do you baptise if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’
26. ‘I baptise with water,’ John replied, ‘but among you stands one you do not know.
27. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
28. This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
29. The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30. This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”
31. I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’
32. Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
33. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”
34. I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’
35. The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
36. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’
37. When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38. Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’
39. ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.