The Messiah’s Herald

The beginning(A) of the gospel(B) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.(C) As it is written in Isaiah(D) the prophet:[a](E)

Look, I am sending My messenger(F) ahead of You,
who will prepare Your way.[b]
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:(G)
Prepare the way for the Lord;(H)
make His paths straight!(I)[c]

John came baptizing[d](J) in the wilderness(K) and preaching a baptism of repentance[e](L) for the forgiveness(M) of sins.(N) The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem(O) were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan(P) River as they confessed(Q) their sins.(R) John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts(S) and wild honey.(T) He was preaching: “Someone more powerful(U) than I will come after me.(V) I am not worthy(W) to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals.(X) I have baptized you with[f] water,(Y) but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”(Z)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:2 Other mss read in the prophets
  2. Mark 1:2 Other mss add before You
  3. Mark 1:3 Is 40:3; Mal 3:1
  4. Mark 1:4 Or John the Baptist came, or John the Baptizer came
  5. Mark 1:4 Or a baptism based on repentance
  6. Mark 1:8 Or in

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