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

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.'"

Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

John said, "I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said."

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,

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!

Then John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.

Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples.

When John's two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus.

Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming to him and being baptized.

(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

Now a dispute came about between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew concerning ceremonial washing.

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.

Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was winning and baptizing more disciples than John

You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.

"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.

Jesus went back across the Jordan River again to the place where John had been baptizing at an earlier time, and he stayed there.

Many came to him and began to say, "John performed no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true!"

Then when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?" He replied, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." Jesus told him, "Feed my lambs."

Jesus said a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He replied, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." Jesus told him, "Shepherd my sheep."

Jesus said a third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that Jesus asked him a third time, "Do you love me?" and said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Jesus replied, "Feed my sheep.