Two currents moved through Judaea,

Two circles gathered near;

A question rose from anxious men:

"Why does his name grow clear?

The one beyond the Jordan,

The one you testified,

Now all are going after him;

Your river's running dry."

He must increase.

I must decrease.

The morning does not wrong the lamp

When daylight is released.

He must increase.

I must decrease.

The voice that made the path is glad

When footsteps reach the King.

No man can seize a calling

That heaven has not supplied.

"You heard me say I am not Christ;

I only walked before his stride."

The bride is for the bridegroom;

The friend stands close and hears.

The long-awaited voice arrives,

And joy outlives the years.

He must increase.

I must decrease.

The morning does not wrong the lamp

When daylight is released.

He must increase.

I must decrease.

The witness finds his fullness

When the greater one is seen.

The one from earth speaks from the earth;

The one from heaven stands above.

He tells what heaven's eyes have seen,

What heaven's ears have heard in love.

Though many turn away the word,

The one receiving seals it true:

God has not measured out the Spirit;

The Father gives the Son his due.

All things rest within his hand;

The Father's love has made it so.

Belief receives unending life;

Refusal leaves the wrath below.

No jealousy can guard a place

That never was a throne to keep;

The friend rejoices at the voice,

Then steps aside in peace.

He must increase.

I must decrease.

The river was a road of grace;

The Bridegroom reached the feast.

He must increase.

I must decrease.

The witness has no lesser joy

Than seeing Christ believed.

The voice grew quiet.

The Bridegroom had come.