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A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.(A)

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The Coming Messenger

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.(A)

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As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,[a]

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,[b]
    who will prepare your way,(A)
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
    make his paths straight,’ ”(B)

so John the baptizer appeared[c] in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(C) And the whole Judean region and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.

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Footnotes

  1. 1.2 Other ancient authorities read in the prophets
  2. 1.2 Gk before your face
  3. 1.4 Other ancient authorities read John was baptizing

23 He said,

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ ”

as the prophet Isaiah said.(A)

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The Proclamation of John the Baptist

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”[a](A) This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
    make his paths straight.’ ”(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.2 Or is at hand

16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.(A) 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(B)

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See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.(A) He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 4.6 Or a ban of utter destruction

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,(A)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
    by the forgiveness of their sins.(B)

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A Promise of Help and Healing

14 It shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way;
    remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”(A)

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19 I am about to do a new thing;
    now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.(A)

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A highway shall be there,[a]
    and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,[b]
    but it shall be for God’s people;[c]
    no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 35.8 Q ms Gk Syr: MT A highway and a way shall be there
  2. 35.8 Or pass it by
  3. 35.8 Cn: Heb for them

10 Go through, go through the gates;
    prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
    clear it of stones;
    lift up an ensign over the peoples.(A)
11 The Lord has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
    “Look, your savior comes;
his reward is with him
    and his recompense before him.”(B)

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during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.(A) He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
    make his paths straight.(B)
Every valley shall be filled,
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
    and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”(C)

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11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
    and my highways shall be raised up.(A)

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Sing to God; sing praises to his name;
    lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds[a]
his name is the Lord
    be exultant before him.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 68.4 Or cast up a highway for him who rides through the deserts

15 And the Lord will dry up[a]
    the tongue of the sea of Egypt
and will wave his hand over the River
    with his scorching wind
and will split it into seven channels
    and make a way to cross on foot;(A)
16 so there shall be a highway from Assyria
    for the remnant that is left of his people,
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from the land of Egypt.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 11.15 Gk Syr: Heb destroy