The Herald of the Messiah

3 In those days John the Baptist came,^(A) preaching in the wilderness of Judea^{(B) 2} and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” ^{(C) 3} For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

⁴ Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.^(E)

⁷ When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees^(F) coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(G) 8} Therefore produce fruit^(H) consistent with^[b] repentance. ⁹ And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(I) For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(J)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[c] water for repentance,^(K) but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove^[d] his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.^{(L) 12} His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”^(M)

² As it is written in Isaiah^(A) the prophet:^[a](B)

⁴ John came baptizing^[e](H) in the wilderness^(I) and proclaiming a baptism of repentance^(J) for the forgiveness^(K) of sins.^{(L) 5} The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem^(M) were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan^(N) River, confessing^(O) their sins.^{(P) 6} John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts^(Q) and wild honey.^(R)

⁷ He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful^(S) than I am is coming after me.^(T) I am not worthy^(U) to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.^{(V) 8} I baptize you with^[f] water,^(W) but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”^(X)

The Messiah’s Herald

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,^(A) Herod was tetrarch^[a] of Galilee,^(B) his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas^(C) and Caiaphas,^(D) God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.^{(E) 3} He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan,^(F) proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,^{(G) 4} as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

⁷ He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers!^(I) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(J) 8} Therefore produce fruit^(K) consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’^(L) for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(M)

¹⁰ “What then should we do?” ^(N) the crowds were asking him.

¹¹ He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”^(O)

¹² Tax collectors^(P) also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ^(Q)

¹³ He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

¹⁴ Some soldiers also questioned him, “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.^{(R) 16} John answered them all,^(S) “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with^[d] the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing shovel^(T) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn,^(U) but the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”^{(V) 18} Then, along with many other exhortations, he proclaimed good news to the people.

John the Baptist’s Testimony

¹⁹ This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem^(A) sent priests^(B) and Levites^(C) to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰ He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”^(D)

²¹ “What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?” ^(E)

“I am not,” he said.

“Are you the Prophet?” ^(F)

“No,” he answered.

²² “Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

²³ He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord^[a](G)—just as Isaiah^(H) the prophet said.”

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.^{(I) 25} So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with^[b] water,”^(J) John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. ²⁷ He is the one coming after me,^[c](K) whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ All this happened in Bethany^[d] across the Jordan,^(L) where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(M) who takes away the sin^(N) of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹ I didn’t know him,^(O) but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed^(P) to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit^(Q) descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him.^{(R) 33} I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’^{(S) 34} I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”^[e](T)