John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

3 In those days ^(B)John the Baptist came preaching ^(C)in the wilderness of Judea, ² and saying, “Repent, for ^(D)the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

⁴ Now ^(G)John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was ^(H)locusts and ^(I)wild honey. ^5 (J)Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him ^6 (K)and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ^(L)“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(M)the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ^(N)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. ^(O)Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ^11 (P)I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. ^(Q)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit ^[a]and fire. ^12 (R)His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will ^(S)burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(T)

^13 (U)Then Jesus came ^(V)from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

^16 (W)When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and ^[b]He saw ^(X)the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. ^17 (Y)And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ^(Z)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

⁸ So they answered him, ^(A)“A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.”

And he said, ^(B)“It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, ^(A)to mind your own business, and ^(B)to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

^34 (A)For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit ^(B)by measure.

The Eternal Word^(A)

1 In the beginning ^(B)was the Word, and the ^(C)Word was ^(D)with God, and the Word was ^(E)God.

Reconciled in Christ

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that ^(A)in Him all the fullness should dwell,

⁹ For ^(A)in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead ^[a]bodily;

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? ^(A)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

^3 (A)who being the brightness of His glory and the express ^(B)image of His person, and ^(C)upholding all things by the word of His power, ^(D)when He had ^[a]by Himself ^[b]purged ^[c]our sins, ^(E)sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,