¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.^(A) You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”^(B)

¹⁷ The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet^(C) like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words^(D) in his mouth.^(E) He will tell them everything I command him.^{(F) 19} I myself will call to account^(G) anyone who does not listen^(H) to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.^(I)

The Death of Moses

34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo^(A) from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah,^(B) across from Jericho.^(C) There the Lord showed^(D) him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan,^{(E) 2} all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,^{(F) 3} the Negev^(G) and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms,^(H) as far as Zoar.^{(I) 4} Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath^(J) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob^(K) when I said, ‘I will give it^(L) to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross^(M) over into it.”

⁵ And Moses the servant of the Lord^(N) died^(O) there in Moab, as the Lord had said.

Joshua Installed as Leader

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,^(A) the Lord said to Joshua^(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River^(C) into the land^(D) I am about to give to them^(E)—to the Israelites.

Comfort for God’s People

3 “I will send my messenger,^(A) who will prepare the way before me.^(B) Then suddenly the Lord^(C) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,^(D) whom you desire,^(E) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

² But who can endure^(F) the day of his coming?^(G) Who can stand^(H) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire^(I) or a launderer’s soap.^{(J) 3} He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;^(K) he will purify^(L) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.^(M) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,^{(N) 4} and the offerings^(O) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.^(P)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

4 ^[a]“Surely the day is coming;^(A) it will burn like a furnace.^(B) All the arrogant^(C) and every evildoer will be stubble,^(D) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,^(E)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch^(F) will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name,^(G) the sun of righteousness^(H) will rise with healing^(I) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic^(J) like well-fed calves. ³ Then you will trample^(K) on the wicked; they will be ashes^(L) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

⁴ “Remember the law^(M) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb^(N) for all Israel.^(O)

⁵ “See, I will send the prophet Elijah^(P) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.^{(Q) 6} He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,^(R) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike^(S) the land with total destruction.”^(T)

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

¹⁹ Now this was John’s^(A) testimony when the Jewish leaders^[a](B) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰ He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”^(C)

²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”^(D)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”^(E)

He answered, “No.”

²² Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,^(F) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”^[b](G)

²⁴ Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with^[c] water,”^(H) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me,^(I) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”^(J)

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,^(K) where John was baptizing.