24 (A)after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

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24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.(A)

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22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when (A)He was taken up from us, one of these must (B)become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

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22 beginning from John’s baptism(A) to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness(B) with us of his resurrection.”

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And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, (A)“Into John’s baptism.”

Then Paul said, (B)“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

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So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism(A) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”(B)

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37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and (A)began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

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37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—

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33 You have sent to John, (A)and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and (B)shining lamp, and (C)you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But (D)I have a greater witness than John’s; for (E)the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very (F)works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.

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33 “You have sent to John and he has testified(A) to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony;(B) but I mention it that you may be saved.(C) 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light,(D) and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John.(E) For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing(F)—testify that the Father has sent me.(G)

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25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, (A)to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all (B)are coming to Him!”

27 John answered and said, (C)“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, (D)‘I am not the Christ,’ but, (E)‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 (F)He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but (G)the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 (H)He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 (I)He who comes from above (J)is above all; (K)he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. (L)He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 And (M)what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony (N)has certified that God is true. 34 (O)For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit (P)by measure. 35 (Q)The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 (R)He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the (S)wrath of God abides on him.”

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25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.(A) 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi,(B) that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified(C) about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’(D) 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom.(E) The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.(F) 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”[a]

31 The one who comes from above(G) is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.(H) The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard,(I) but no one accepts his testimony.(J) 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent(K) speaks the words of God, for God[b] gives the Spirit(L) without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.(M) 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,(N) but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

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Footnotes

  1. John 3:30 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 36.
  2. John 3:34 Greek he

15 (A)John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, (B)‘He who comes after me [a]is preferred before me, (C)for He was before me.’ ”

16 [b]And of His (D)fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For (E)the law was given through Moses, but (F)grace and (G)truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 (H)No one has seen God at any time. (I)The only begotten [c]Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:15 ranks higher than I
  2. John 1:16 NU For
  3. John 1:18 NU God

15 (John testified(A) concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)(B) 16 Out of his fullness(C) we have all received grace(D) in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses;(E) grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.(F) 18 No one has ever seen God,(G) but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[a](H) is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who

John’s Witness: The True Light

There was a (A)man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a (B)witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might (C)believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that (D)Light.

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There was a man sent from God whose name was John.(A) He came as a witness to testify(B) concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.(C) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

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[a]while (A)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to (B)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. (C)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance (D)for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

(E)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And (F)all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

John Preaches to the People(G)

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, (H)“Brood[b] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits (I)worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore (J)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 So the people asked him, saying, (K)“What shall we do then?”

11 He answered and said to them, (L)“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, (M)let him do likewise.”

12 Then (N)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, (O)“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”

So he said to them, “Do not [c]intimidate anyone (P)or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying to all, (Q)“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will (R)baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and (S)gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. 19 (T)But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his [d]brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:2 NU, M in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas
  2. Luke 3:7 Offspring
  3. Luke 3:14 Lit. shake down for money
  4. Luke 3:19 NU brother’s wife

during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,(A) the word of God came to John(B) son of Zechariah(C) in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(D) As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
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](E)

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!(F) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(G) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(H) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 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)

10 “What should we do then?”(J) 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.”(K)

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

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”(M) 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(N)—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John(O) might possibly be the Messiah.(P) 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[b] water.(Q) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire.(R) 17 His winnowing fork(S) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(T) 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

19 But when John rebuked Herod(U) the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.(V)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:6 Isaiah 40:3-5
  2. Luke 3:16 Or in
  3. Luke 3:16 Or in

76 “And you, child, will be called the (A)prophet of the Highest;
For (B)you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

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76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(A) of the Most High;(B)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(C)

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As it is written in [a]the Prophets:

(A)“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”
“The(B) voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

(C)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b]for the remission of sins. (D)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

Now John was (E)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, (F)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. (G)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you (H)with the Holy Spirit.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:2 NU Isaiah the prophet
  2. Mark 1:4 Or because of forgiveness

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)

And so John the Baptist(C) appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance(D) for the forgiveness of sins.(E) The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,(F) and he ate locusts(G) and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.(H) I baptize you with[c] water, but he will baptize you with[d] the Holy Spirit.”(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:2 Mal. 3:1
  2. Mark 1:3 Isaiah 40:3
  3. Mark 1:8 Or in
  4. Mark 1:8 Or in

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

In those days (B)John the Baptist came preaching (C)in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for (D)the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

(E)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(F)‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

Now (G)John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was (H)locusts and (I)wild honey. (J)Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (K)and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (L)“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from (M)the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, (N)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. (O)Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 (P)I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. (Q)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [a]and fire.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 3:11 M omits and fire

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

In those days John the Baptist(B) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(C) has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[a](D)

John’s(E) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.(F) His food was locusts(G) 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(H) 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!(I) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(J) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(K) And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(L) 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.(M)

11 “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance.(N) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit(O) and fire.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 3:3 Isaiah 40:3
  2. Matthew 3:11 Or in
  3. Matthew 3:11 Or in