John the Baptist Begins His Ministry

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.[a] Just as it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way,
the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make straight his paths!’”[b]

John was there baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming[c] a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the Judean region and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem went out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. And John was dressed in camel’s hair and a belt made of leather around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching, saying, “One who is more powerful than I is coming after me, of whom I am not worthy to bend down and[d] untie the strap of his sandals. I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts add “the Son of God”
  2. Mark 1:3 A quotation from Isa 40:3
  3. Mark 1:4 Some manuscripts have “and proclaiming”
  4. Mark 1:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“bend down”) has been translated as an infinitive

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b](B) as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[c](C)
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[d](D)

And so John the Baptist(E) appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance(F) for the forgiveness of sins.(G) 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,(H) and he ate locusts(I) 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.(J) I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”(K)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One.
  2. Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts do not have the Son of God.
  3. Mark 1:2 Mal. 3:1
  4. Mark 1:3 Isaiah 40:3
  5. Mark 1:8 Or in
  6. Mark 1:8 Or in