¹¹ The world was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence. ¹² God saw the world and how corrupt it was because all people on earth lived evil lives.

¹³ God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people because the earth is full of their violence. Now I’m going to destroy them along with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself a ship of cypress wood. ^[a] Make rooms in the ship and coat it inside and out with tar. ¹⁵ This is how you should build it: the ship is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ship, and leave an 18-inch-high opening at the top. Put a door in the side of the ship. Build the ship with lower, middle, and upper decks. ¹⁷ I’m about to send a flood on the earth to destroy all people under the sky—every living, breathing human. Everything on earth will die.

¹⁸ “But I will make my promise ^[b] to you. You, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives will go into the ship. ¹⁹ Bring two of every living creature into the ship in order to keep them alive with you. They must be male and female. ²⁰ Two of every type of bird, every type of domestic animal, and every type of creature that crawls on the ground will come to you to be kept alive. ²¹ Take every kind of food that can be eaten and store it. It will be food for you and the animals.”

²² Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.

¹⁷ After all, if it is God’s will, it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.

¹⁸ This is true because Christ suffered for our sins once. He was an innocent person, but he suffered for guilty people so that he could bring you to God. His body was put to death, but he was brought to life through his spirit. ¹⁹ In it he also went to proclaim his victory to the spirits kept in prison. ²⁰ They are like those who disobeyed long ago in the days of Noah when God waited patiently while Noah built the ship. In this ship a few people—eight in all—were saved by water. ²¹ Baptism, which is like that water, now saves you. Baptism doesn’t save by removing dirt from the body. Rather, baptism is a request to God for a clear conscience. It saves you through Jesus Christ, who came back from death to life.

John Prepares the Way^(A)

3 Later, John the Baptizer appeared in the desert of Judea. His message was, ² “Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near.” ³ Isaiah the prophet spoke about this man when he said,

⁴ John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

⁵ Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole Jordan Valley went to him. ⁶ As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

John Baptizes Jesus^(A)

¹³ Then Jesus appeared. He came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you. Why are you coming to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered him, “This is the way it has to be now. This is the proper way to do everything that God requires of us.”

Then John gave in to him. ¹⁶ After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove to him. ¹⁷ Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased.”