26. So they went to John and asked him, “Rabbi, do you remember the man you spoke so favorably about when he was with you on the other side of the Jordan River? Well, he’s baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
27. John answered, “People can’t receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven.
28. You are witnesses that I said, ‘I’m not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’
29. “The groom is the person to whom the bride belongs. The best man, who stands and listens to him, is overjoyed when the groom speaks. This is the joy that I feel.
30. He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.
31. “The person who comes from above is superior to everyone. I, a person from the earth, know nothing but what is on earth, and that’s all I can talk about. The person who comes from heaven is superior to everyone