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:

3 “See, I am going to send my messenger,^(A) and he will clear the way before me.^(B) Then the Lord you seek^(C) will suddenly come to his temple,^(D) the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. ² But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears?^(E) For he will be like a refiner’s fire^(F) and like launderer’s bleach.^{[a](G) 3} He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.^(H) Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. ⁴ And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old^(I) and years gone by.

3 “See, I am going to send my messenger,^(A) and he will clear the way before me.^(B) Then the Lord you seek^(C) will suddenly come to his temple,^(D) the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. ² But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears?^(E) For he will be like a refiner’s fire^(F) and like launderer’s bleach.^{[a](G) 3} He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.^(H) Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. ⁴ And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old^(I) and years gone by.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,^{[a] 4} always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day^(A) until now.^{(B) 6} I am sure of this, that he who started a good work^(C) in you^[b] will carry it on to completion^(D) until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ Indeed, it is right^(E) for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart,^[c] and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment^(F) and in the defense^(G) and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness,^(H) how deeply I miss all of you^(I) with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And I pray this: that your love^(J) will keep on growing^(K) in knowledge and every kind of discernment,^{(L) 10} so that you may approve the things that are superior^(M) and may be pure^(N) and blameless^(O) in the day of Christ,^{(P) 11} filled with the fruit^(Q) of righteousness^(R) that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory^(S) and praise of God.