John 3:25-26

3:25 Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew ¹  concerning ceremonial washing. ²  3:26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, ³  about whom you testified – see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”

Malachi 3:16

3:16 Then those who respected ⁴  the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. ⁵  A scroll ⁶  was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

[3:25]  ¹ tc Was this dispute between the Baptist’s disciples and an individual Judean (᾿Ιουδαίου, Ioudaiou) or representatives of the Jewish authorities (᾿Ιουδαίων, Ioudaiwn)? There is good external support for the plural ᾿Ιουδαίων (Ì⁶⁶ א* Θ Ë^1,13 565 al latt), but the external evidence for the singular ᾿Ιουδαίου is slightly stronger ({Ì⁷⁵ א² A B L Ψ 33 1241 the majority of Byzantine minuscules and others}).

[3:25]  ² tn Or “ceremonial cleansing,” or “purification.”

[3:26]  ³ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”

[3:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”

[3:16]  ⁶ sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).