Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” They discussed this among themselves, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will say,‘ Then why did you not believe him?’

约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的？是从天上来的？是从人间来的呢？”他们彼此商议说：“我们若说‘从天上来’，他必对我们说：‘这样，你们为什么不信他呢？’

约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的？是从天上来的，还是从人间来的呢？”他们彼此商议说：“我们若说‘从天上来的’，他会对我们说：‘这样，你们为什么不信他呢？’

约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的？是从天上来的，还是从人间来的呢？”他们彼此商议说：“我们若说‘从天上来的’，他会对我们说：‘这样，你们为什么不信他呢？’

约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的？从天上来的，还是从人来的？”他们便彼此议论说：“如果我们说‘是从天上来的’，祂一定会问我们，‘那你们为什么不信他？’

约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的呢？是从天上来的，还是从人来的呢？”他们就彼此议论：“如果我们说‘是从天上来的’，他会问我们‘那你们为什么不信他呢？’

约翰的洗礼是从哪里来的？是来自天上，还是来自人间呢？”他们就彼此讨论，说：“如果我们说‘是来自天上’，他就会问我们‘那么你们为什么不相信他呢？’

約翰的洗禮是從哪裏來的？是從天上來的？是從人間來的呢？」他們彼此商議說：「我們若說『從天上來』，他必對我們說：『這樣，你們為甚麼不信他呢？』

約翰的洗禮是從哪裏來的？是從天上來的，還是從人間來的呢？」他們彼此商議說：「我們若說『從天上來的』，他會對我們說：『這樣，你們為甚麼不信他呢？』

約翰的洗禮是從哪裏來的？是從天上來的，還是從人間來的呢？」他們彼此商議說：「我們若說『從天上來的』，他會對我們說：『這樣，你們為甚麼不信他呢？』

約翰的洗禮是從哪裡來的？從天上來的，還是從人來的？」他們便彼此議論說：「如果我們說『是從天上來的』，祂一定會問我們，『那你們為什麼不信他？』

約翰的洗禮是從哪裡來的呢？是從天上來的，還是從人來的呢？”他們就彼此議論：“如果我們說‘是從天上來的’，他會問我們‘那你們為甚麼不信他呢？’

約翰的洗禮是從哪裏來的？是由於天呢？還是由於人呢？』他們就彼此議論說：『我們若說「由於天」呢，他就會對我們說：「那你們為甚麼不信他？」

約翰的洗禮是從哪裡來的？是來自天上，還是來自人間呢？」他們就彼此討論，說：「如果我們說『是來自天上』，他就會問我們『那麼你們為什麼不相信他呢？』

約翰之洗自奚、自天乎、自人乎、眾竊議曰、若云自天、彼必曰、曷不信之、

約翰施洗、由天乎、由人乎、眾竊議曰、若云由天、彼必曰、曷不信之、

約翰之施洗何自、自天乎、自人乎、眾竊議曰、若云自天、彼必曰、然則何不信之、

夫如望之洗、何自而來、自天乎、自人乎？』若輩私議曰：

John’s baptism— where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will ask,‘ Then why didn’t you believe him?’

Where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven? Or did it come from human authority?” They talked to one another about it. They said,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will ask,‘ Then why didn’t you believe him?’

The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will say to us,‘ Why then did you not believe him?’

“ Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves.“ If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John.

Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will say to us,‘ Then why didn’t you believe him?’

The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?” And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ He will say to us,‘ Then why did you not believe him?’

The baptism of John— where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ He will say to us,‘ Why then did you not believe him?’

The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why then did ye not believe him?

Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from men?” They began to argue among themselves,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ He will say to us,‘ Then why didn’t you believe him?’

The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?” They reasoned with themselves, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will ask us,‘ Why then did you not believe him?’

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,“ Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way,the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”In the wilderness John the baptizer began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.People from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.He proclaimed,“ One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals.I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”Now in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.And a voice came from heaven:“ You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”

Jesus replied,“ I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my Father’s name testify about me.But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep.

In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming,“ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”For he is the one about whom Isaiah the prophet had spoken:“ The voice of one shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him,and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,“ You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,and don’t think you can say to yourselves,‘ We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.“ I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am– I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”

John testified about him and shouted out,“ This one was the one about whom I said,‘ He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’”

So they discussed it with one another, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will say,‘ Why did you not believe him?’

The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.He went into all the region around the Jordan River, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,“ The voice of one shouting in the wilderness:‘ Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low, and the crooked will be made straight, and the rough ways will be made smooth,and all humanity will see the salvation of God.’”So John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,“ You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves,‘ We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”So the crowds were asking him,“ What then should we do?”John answered them,“ The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him,“ Teacher, what should we do?”He told them,“ Collect no more than you are required to.”Then some soldiers also asked him,“ And as for us– what should we do?” He told them,“ Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your pay.”While the people were filled with anticipation and they all wondered whether perhaps John could be the Christ,John answered them all,“ I baptize you with water, but one more powerful than I am is coming– I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people.But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds that he had done,Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.”( Now all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)“ To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another,‘ We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.’For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say,‘ He has a demon!’The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say,‘ Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

So they came to John and said to him,“ Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you testified– see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”John replied,“ No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.You yourselves can testify that I said,‘ I am not the Christ,’ but rather,‘ I have been sent before him.’The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.He must become more important while I become less important.”The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all.He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful.For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly.The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority.The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.

While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John:“ What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings!What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.This is the one about whom it is written:‘ Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’“ I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared.And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come.The one who has ears had better listen!

So they asked John,“ Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”John answered them,“ I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize,who is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!”These things happened in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was baptizing.On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“ Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!This is the one about whom I said,‘ After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’I did not recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”Then John testified,“ I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.And I 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 descending and remaining– this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”

They came again to Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the experts in the law, and the elders came up to himand said,“ By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”Jesus said to them,“ I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:John’s baptism– was it from heaven or from people? Answer me.”They discussed with one another, saying,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will say,‘ Then why did you not believe him?’But if we say,‘ From people–’”( they feared the crowd, for they all considered John to be truly a prophet).So they answered Jesus,“ We don’t know.” Then Jesus said to them,“ Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

A man came, sent from God, whose name was John.

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,“ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people.For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us.He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant–the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grantsthat we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on highto give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.

Although Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him,so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said,“ Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said,“ He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn to me, and I would heal them.”Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him.Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.( I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.)He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light.“ But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete– the deeds I am now doing– testify about me that the Father has sent me.

How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?“ Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe my words?”

An angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared to him.And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear.But the angel said to him,“ Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John.Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”

And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.