¹⁵ Everyone was hoping for the Messiah to come, and they wondered about John. They thought, “Maybe he is the Messiah.”

¹⁶ John’s answer to this was, “I baptize you in water, but there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who unties his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ He will come ready to clean the grain.^[a] He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will put the good part into his barn. Then he will burn the useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped.”

Jesus Is Baptized by John^(A)

²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus came and was baptized too. And while he was praying, the sky opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit came down on him. The Spirit looked like a real dove. Then a voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you.”