John 1:23

King James Version

He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
John told them the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am the voice of someone shouting in the desert: ‘Make a straight road ready for the Lord.'"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He sayde: I am the voyce of a cryar in the wyldernes make strayght the waye of the Lorde as sayde the Prophete Esaias.

Hebrew Names Version
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Yesha`yahu the prophet said."

International Standard Version
He replied,Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 3:28;">[xr] "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make the way of the Lord straight,'"Isaiah 40:3">[fn] as the prophet Isaiah said.

New American Standard Bible
He said, "I am THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE THE WAY OF THE LORD STRAIGHT,' as Isaiah the prophet said."

New Century Version
John told them in the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am the voice of one calling out in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for the Lord.'" Isaiah 40:3

Update Bible Version
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said.

Webster's Bible Translation
He said, I [am] the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.

English Standard Version
He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

World English Bible
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.

Weymouth's New Testament
"I am the voice," he replied, "of one crying aloud, `Make straight the Lord's way in the Desert,' fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He seide, Y am a vois of a crier in deseert, Dresse ye the weie of the Lord, as Ysaie, the prophete, seide.

English Revised Version
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

Berean Standard Bible
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

Contemporary English Version
John answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "I am only someone shouting in the desert, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord!'"

Amplified Bible
He said, "I am THE VOICE OF ONE SHOUTING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

American Standard Version
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

Bible in Basic English
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the waste land, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

Complete Jewish Bible
He answered in the words of Yesha‘yahu the prophet, "I am The voice of someone crying out: ‘In the desert make the way of Adonai straight!'"

Darby Translation
He said, I [am] [the] voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the path of [the] Lord, as said Esaias the prophet.

Etheridge Translation
He saith, I am the voice which crieth in the wilderness, Make plain the way of the Lord, as said Eshaia the prophet.

Murdock Translation
He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make smooth the way of the Lord; as said the prophet Isaiah.

King James Version (1611)
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wildernesse: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias.

New Living Translation
John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord 's coming!'"

New Life Bible
John said, "I am the voice of one crying in the desert. ‘Make the road straight for the Lord,' as the early preacher Isaiah said."

New Revised Standard
He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He said, I am the voyce of him that cryeth in the wildernesse, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias.

George Lamsa Translation
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Straighten the highway of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He said - I, am a Voice, of one crying aloud; - In the desert, make ye straight, the way of the Lord: according as said Isaiah the prophet.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias.

Revised Standard Version
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He sayde: I am the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse, make strayght the way of the Lorde, as sayde the prophete Esaias.

Good News Translation
John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah: "I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert: Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!'"

Christian Standard Bible®
He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Lexham English Bible
He said, "I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' just as Isaiah the prophet said."

Literal Translation
He said, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness:" "Make straight" "the way of the Lord," as Isaiah the prophet said. Isa. 40:3

Young's Literal Translation
He said, `I [am] a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: I am ye voyce of a cryer in the wyldernesse. Make straight ye waye of the LORDE. As ye prophet Esay sayde:

Mace New Testament (1729)
"I am, said he, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, clear the way of the Lord," as said the prophet Esaias.

THE MESSAGE
"I'm thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached."

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

New King James Version
He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:"Make straight the way of the Lord," ' Isaiah 40:3 ">[fn]
as the prophet Isaiah said."

Simplified Cowboy Version
John quoted words from the Good Book of Isaiah, "I'm a voice hollerin' from the back side of the pasture, 'Get out of the way because the Top Hand is ridin' into town.'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said."

Legacy Standard Bible
He said, "I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said."

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? ²⁰ And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. ²¹ And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. ²² Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? ²³ He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. ²⁴ And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? ²⁶ John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; ²⁷ He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. ²⁸ These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I am: John 3:28, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 1:16, Luke 1:17, Luke 1:76-79, Luke 3:4-6

as said: Isaiah 40:3-5

Reciprocal: Ezra 1:1 - made a proclamation Matthew 11:10 - General Luke 3:2 - in Luke 7:24 - wilderness Luke 7:27 - Behold John 7:37 - and cried Acts 13:10 - the right Acts 18:25 - instructed

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,.... These words are cited by the other evangelists, and applied to John the Baptist; but then they are only to be considered as their citation, and as an application of them to him by them: but here they are used by John himself, who both expresses them, and interprets them of himself; and in which he was undoubtedly under the infallible direction of the blessed Spirit; and which confirms the sense of the evangelists, who apply the words to him. The Jews give a different interpretation of the words; though one of their celebrated commentators u owns, that the comforts spoken of in the preceding verses are what will be in the days of the King Messiah: one of them w interprets, "the voice", of the Holy Ghost; and so far it may be true, as John was filled with the Holy Ghost, and he spake by him in his ministry: and another x, of the resurrection of the dead, or the voice that will be heard then, which will be the voice of the archangel: though another of y them better explains it by, הם המבשרים, "they are they that bring glad tidings", or good news; such are Gospel preachers; only it should have been in the singular number: for the text speaks but of one voice; of one person crying; and of John the Baptist, who brought the good news, and glad tidings, that the Messiah was coming, yea, that he was already come, and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. The Hebrew writers generally understand the passage, of the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, and of removing all obstructions in their way to Jerusalem; to which sense the Targum on the place inclines, which paraphrases it thus;

"the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare the way before the people of the Lord, make in the plain, paths before the congregation of our God:''

but not the people of the Lord, but the Lord himself, and not the congregation of God, but God himself is intended; whose ways were to be prepared, and made plain, even the King Messiah; which was to be done, and was done by his forerunner John the Baptist, who, with great modesty, expresses himself in the language of this Scripture, as being a prophecy of him: he was a "voice", but not a mere voice; nor was his ministry a mere voice of words, as the law was, but it was the sweet voice of the Gospel, proclaiming the coming of the Messiah; encouraging men to believe in him; calling them to evangelical repentance, and publishing remission of sins in the name of Christ, and pointing him out as the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world: this voice was "crying"; it was not a still small voice, it was a very loud one; John lifted up his voice like a trumpet; he delivered himself with great zeal and fervency; and it was "in the wilderness" where this voice was heard, in the wilderness of Judea, as in Matthew 3:1 where Jesus came preaching; the Ethiopic version renders the words, "I am the voice of one that goes about in the wilderness"; that is, in the several towns and villages which were in the wilderness, to whom John went and preached the Gospel: the Persic version reads, "I am the voice and cry which cometh out of the wilderness"; referring to the place where he was before he entered on his public ministry, and from whence he came; for he was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel, Luke 1:80. The words this voice cried were,

make straight the way of the Lord; he called upon persons to reform their ways, and walk in the way of the Lord, to repent of their sins, believe in Christ, and submit to the ordinance of baptism: the Ethiopic version reads, "the way of God"; and such was the person he came to prepare the way for, even the Son of God, and who is truly and properly God,

as said the prophet Esaias, in Isaiah 40:3.

u Kimchi in Isa. xl. 1. w Jarchi in Isa xl. 3. x Zohar in Gen. fol. 70. 4. y Aben Ezra in Isa. ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I am the voice ... - See the notes at Matthew 3:3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 23. I am the voice of one crying — Matthew 3:3; and Mark 1:4, Mark 1:5.