And they asked Him, What then? Are you Elijah? He said, "No." Prophet? He answered: no. They said to him, "Who are you?" That we may give an answer to those who sent us: What wilt thou say of thyself? He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: straighten the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said (Isaiah 40:3).

And the messengers were from the Pharisees, and they asked him, "Why do you baptize, if you are not Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet?" John answered and said to them, "I baptize in water; but there is one standing among you whom you do not know. He is He who follows me, but who stands before me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His shoes.

This happened in Bethabar, by the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

On the next day John saw the Lord Jesus coming to Him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sin of the world." This is the one of whom I said, A man is coming after me, who has gone before me, because he was before me. I did not know Him, but for this reason I came to baptize in water, that He might be revealed to Israel.

And John testified, saying, "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and abiding upon Him." I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, "On Whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding upon Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.

22. The Assignment of Some Disciples

In. 1, 35–51.

On the next day John stood again and two of his disciples. And when he saw the Lord Jesus coming, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God! Hearing these words from him, both disciples followed Jesus the Lord. And the Lord Jesus, turning and seeing them coming, said to them, "What have ye need? They said to him, "Rabbi," which means "teacher," where do you live? He said to them, "Go and see." And they went and saw where he dwelt, and they stayed with him that day. It was about ten o'clock.

One of the two disciples who heard from John about the Lord Jesus and followed Him was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He is the first to find his brother Simon and says to him, "We have found the Messiah," which means, Christ. And brought him to the Lord Jesus. And the Lord looked at him, and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which means a stone (Peter).

На другой день Господь Иисус восхотел идти в Галилею, и находит Филиппа и говорит ему: иди за Мною. Филипп же был из Вифсаиды, из одного города с Андреем и Петром.

Филипп находит Нафанаила и говорит ему: мы нашли Того, о Котором писали Моисей в законе (Втор. 18, 15) и пророки, — Иисуса, сына Иосифова, из Назарета. Но Нафанаил сказал ему: из Назарета может ли быть что доброе? Филипп говорит ему: пойди и посмотри.

Господь Иисус, увидев идущего к Нему Нафанаила, говорит о нем: вот подлинно Израильтянин, в котором нет лукавства. Нафанаил говорит Ему: почему Ты знаешь меня? Господь Иисус сказал ему в ответ: прежде нежели позвал тебя Филипп, когда ты был под смоковницею, Я видел тебя. Нафанаил отвечал Ему: Равви! Ты Сын Божий, Ты Царь Израилев. Господь Иисус сказал ему в ответ: ты веришь, потому что Я тебе сказал: Я видел тебя под смоковницею; увидишь больше сего.

И говорит ему: истинно, истинно говорю вам: отныне будете видеть небо отверстым и Ангелов Божиих, восходящих и нисходящих к Сыну Человеческому.

23. Чудо в Кане