John 1:20

1:20 He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!” ¹ 

John 1:23

1:23 John ²  said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight ³  the way for the Lord,’ ⁴  as Isaiah the prophet said.”

¹ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

² tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.

⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.