Matthew 3:14

But John ¹  tried to prevent ²  him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?"

But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?"

But John didn’t want to baptize him. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?"

John objected, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized, not you!"

But John would have kept him back, saying, It is I who have need of baptism from you, and do you come to me?

John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"

But John ¹  tried to prevent ²  him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

¹ tc ‡ The earliest mss (א* B sa) lack the name of John here (“but he tried to prevent him,” instead of “but John tried to prevent him”). It is, however, clearly implied (and is thus supplied in translation). Although the longer reading has excellent support (Ì⁹⁶ א¹ C D^s L W 0233 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat[t] sy mae bo), it looks to be a motivated and predictable reading: Scribes apparently could not resist adding this clarification.

² tn The imperfect verb has been translated conatively.