Matthew 3
English Standard Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 (A)In those days (B)John the Baptist came preaching in (C)the wilderness of Judea, 2 (D)“Repent, for (E)the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a] 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
(F)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(G)‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore (H)a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was (I)locusts and (J)wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, (K)confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of (L)the Pharisees and (M)Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (N)“You brood of (O)vipers! Who warned you to flee from (P)the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit (Q)in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, (R)‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from (S)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. (T)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 (U)“I baptize you with water (V)for repentance, but (W)he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you (X)with the Holy Spirit and (Y)fire. 12 His (Z)winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and (AA)gather his wheat into the barn, (AB)but the chaff he will burn with (AC)unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 (AD)Then Jesus came (AE)from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 (AF)John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, (AG)the heavens were opened to him,[c] and he (AH)saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, (AI)a voice from heaven said, (AJ)“This is my beloved Son,[d] with whom I am well pleased.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 3:2 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near
- Matthew 3:3 Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness
- Matthew 3:16 Some manuscripts omit to him
- Matthew 3:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
Mattityahu 3
Orthodox Jewish Bible
3 Now in those days Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva appears, preaching, crying out as a maggid (preacher) [for the Moshiach] in the midbar (wilderness) of Yehudah,
2 saying, Make teshuva, for the Malchut HaShomayim has come near.
3 For this [Yochanan] is the one spoken of through Yeshayah the Navi, saying, KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR (A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, Isa 40:3): Prepare the Derech Hashem (the way of the L-rd). Make his paths straight!
4 Now Yochanan himself had camel-hair clothing and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was arbe (locusts) and devash (wild honey).
5 Then all Yerushalayim and all Yehudah and the whole region of the Yarden were going out to him.
6 Making vidduy (confession of sin) [to Hashem] of their averos (sins), they were submitted to a tevilah (immersion) by him, using the Yarden River as a mikveh mayim (gathering of water).
7 But when he saw many of the Perushim and Tzedukim coming to where he was using the Yarden as a mikveh mayim, Yochanan said to them, You banim (sons) of nachashim (snakes)! Who warned you to flee from the charon af [Hashem] habah (the coming burning wrath of Hashem)?
8 Produce pri tov l’teshuva (fruit worthy of repentance)!
9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, We have the yichus (proud lineage), we have the zechut Avot (merit of the Fathers) of Avraham Avinu (our father Abraham). For I say to you that Hashem is able to raise up from these avanim (stones) banim (sons) of Avraham.
10 And already the ax is laid at the shoresh haetzim (the root of the trees); therefore, every etz not producing pri tov (good fruit) is cut down and thrown into the eish (fire).
11 I give you a tevilah (immersion) in a mikveh mayim for teshuva, but Hu Habah (He who Comes; T.N. i.e., the Moshiach) after me has more chozek (strength) than me. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He will give you a tevilah (immersion) with the Ruach Hakodesh and eish (fire).
12 The winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear out his threshing floor, and he will gather his wheat into the storehouse; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable eish (fire).
13 Then Yehoshua comes from the Galil to the Yarden to Yochanan, to submit to Yochanan’s tevilah.
14 But Yochanan would have deterred him, saying, I have need to submit to your tevilah [T.N. i.e., Moshiach’s tevilah], and yet you come to me?
15 But answering him, Yehoshua said, Permit it now, for thus it is proper to fulfill all Tzidkat Hashem [Dan 9:24].
16 And having received the tevilah in the Yarden’s mikveh mayim, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach immediately came up. And, hinei! The Shomayim were opened to him, and he saw the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem descending like a yonah (dove) and coming upon him.
17 And, hinei, a bat kol (a voice from heaven) came out of Shomayim, saying, ZEH BNI AHUVI ASHER BO CHAFATZTI (This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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