¹¹ He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things,^(A)

²¹ who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.^(A)

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)

⁶ 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]

³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(C) 8} Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.^{(D) 9} Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(E)

¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?”^{(F) 11} In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.”^{(G) 12} Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”^{(H) 13} He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”^{(I) 14} Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”^(J)