John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

¹⁹ Now this was John’s^(A) testimony when the Jewish leaders^[a](B) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰ He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”^(C)

²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”^(D)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”^(E)

He answered, “No.”

²² Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,^(F) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”^[b](G)

²⁴ Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with^[c] water,”^(H) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me,^(I) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”^(J)

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,^(K) where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(L) who takes away the sin of the world!^{(M) 30} This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’^{(N) 31} I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing 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.^{(O) 33} And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water^(P) told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’^{(Q) 34} I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”^[d](R)

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus^(S)

³⁵ The next day John^(T) was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”^(U)

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”^(V) (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.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).^{(W) 42} And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called^(X) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter^[e]).^(Y)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,^(Z) he said to him, “Follow me.”^(AA)

⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.^{(AB) 45} Philip found Nathanael^(AC) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,^(AD) and about whom the prophets also wrote^(AE)—Jesus of Nazareth,^(AF) the son of Joseph.”^(AG)

⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”^(AH) Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite^(AI) in whom there is no deceit.”^(AJ)

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi,^(AK) you are the Son of God;^(AL) you are the king of Israel.”^(AM)

⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe^[f] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you,^[g] you^[h] will see ‘heaven open,^(AN) and the angels of God ascending and descending^(AO) on’^[i] the Son of Man.”^(AP)

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.^(AQ) Jesus’ mother^(AR) was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

⁴ “Woman,^[j](AS) why do you involve me?”^(AT) Jesus replied. “My hour^(AU) has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”^(AV)

⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,^(AW) each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.^[k]

⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.^(AX) He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs^(AY) through which he revealed his glory;^(AZ) and his disciples believed in him.^(BA)

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum^(BB) with his mother^(BC) and brothers^(BD) and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Psalm 83^[a]

A song. A psalm of Asaph.