¹⁵ As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, ^(A)whether he might be ^(B)the Christ, ^16 (C)John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but ^(D)he who is mightier than I is coming, ^(E)the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you ^(F)with the Holy Spirit and with ^(G)fire. ¹⁷ His ^(H)winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to ^(I)gather the wheat into his barn, ^(J)but the chaff he will burn with ^(K)unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So ^(L)with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹ But ^(M)Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that ^(N)he locked up John in prison.

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when ^(O)Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, ^(P)the heavens were opened, ²² and ^(Q)the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and ^(R)a voice came from heaven, ^(S)“You are my beloved Son;^[a] with you I am well pleased.”^[b]

The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^(A)And Jesus, ^(B)full of the Holy Spirit, ^(C)returned from the Jordan and was led ^(D)by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for ^(E)forty days, ^(F)being tempted by the devil. ^(G)And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, ^(H)he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are ^(I)the Son of God, command ^(J)this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, ^(K)“It is written, ^(L)‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” ^5 (M)And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to him, “To you ^(N)I will give all this authority and their glory, ^(O)for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ And Jesus answered him, ^(P)“It is written,

^9 (S)And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are ^(T)the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

¹¹ and

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ^(W)‘You shall not ^(X)put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him ^(Y)until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

^14 (Z)And Jesus returned ^(AA)in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and ^(AB)a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵ And ^(AC)he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.