He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah."

And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

He is the [One] who comes after me, who has come to be before me, of whom I am not worthy that I should loose the strap of His sandal."

He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' just as Isaiah the prophet said."

Behold, I send forth My messenger, and he shall survey the way before Me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you take pleasure in: behold, He is coming, says the Lord Almighty.

Remember the law of My servant Moses, accordingly as I charged him [with it] in Horeb for all Israel, even the commandments and ordinances.

And, behold, I will send to you Elijah the Tishbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes;

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit,

whose winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and He will gather His wheat into the barn; but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire."

As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."

"A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"

And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.

And he himself will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD, make His paths straight.

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"