John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One.
  2. Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts do not have the Son of God.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)(B)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate(C) was governor of Judea, Herod(D) tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,(E) the word of God came to John(F) son of Zechariah(G) in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(H)

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as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[a](A)
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[b](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:2 Mal. 3:1
  2. Mark 1:3 Isaiah 40:3

Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:6 Isaiah 40:3-5

John’s(A) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.(B) His food was locusts(C) and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized(D) by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!(E) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(F) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(G) And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(H) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.(I)

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10 “What should we do then?”(A) the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”(B)

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized.(C) “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”(D) he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely(E)—be content with your pay.”

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