Matthew 3:5-12

New American Standard Bible

⁵ At that time Jerusalem ^(A)was going out to him, and all Judea and all ^(B)the region around the Jordan; ⁶ and they were being ^(C)baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the ^(D)Pharisees and ^(E)Sadducees coming for ^[a]baptism, he said to them, “You ^[b](F)offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from ^(G)the wrath to come? ^8 (H)Therefore produce fruit ^(I)consistent with repentance; ⁹ and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘^(J)We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ And the ^(K)axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, ^(L)every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “As for me, ^(M)I baptize you ^[c]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; ^(N)He will baptize you ^[d]with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His ^(O)winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will ^(P)gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the ^(Q)chaff with ^(R)unquenchable fire.”