Matthew 3
EasyEnglish Bible
John the Baptist prepares a way for Jesus
3 While Jesus still lived in Nazareth, a man called John the Baptist was speaking a message from God. He was doing this in the wilderness in Judea.[a] 2 He told people, ‘You have done many wrong things. You must turn away from them and change how you live. Do this now, because the kingdom of heaven has come very near.’
3 God's prophet Isaiah spoke about this man John long ago. He said:
‘Somebody's voice is shouting in the wilderness,
“The Lord will come soon, so prepare a way for him to follow.
Make the paths straight for him.” ’[b]
4 John wore clothes made from the hair of a camel. He also wore a belt made from leather. His usual food was locusts and honey from the wilderness.[c]
5 Many people went to listen to John. They lived in Jerusalem and all over the country called Judea and many other places near the Jordan River. 6 The people told God about all the wrong things that they had done. Then John baptized them in the Jordan River.[d]
7 Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to John.[e] They wanted John to baptize them. He said to them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes. God is angry. You are trying to run away from him. But he will soon punish people like you. 8 You have to show that you are sorry. Change how you live. Stop doing things that God does not like. 9 Do not say to yourselves, “We are in the family of Abraham. God will surely not punish us.” Listen! God can take these stones and make children for Abraham out of them! 10 You are like trees that have bad fruit. God has an axe ready to use. He will cut down every tree that does not make good fruit. He will throw those trees into the fire.
11 I baptize you with water. This shows that you want to change the way that you live. But another person will come soon.[f] He is greater than I am. I am not good enough even to carry his shoes for him. This other person will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is like a farmer that brings the wheat home from his field. He uses a special tool to throw the wheat up in the air. He does this to make the wheat seeds separate from what remains. Then he cleans his yard. He carefully stores all the seeds to keep them safe. But he burns everything else in a great fire that nobody can put out.’
John baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River. He wanted John to baptize him. 14 But John tried to stop him. He said to Jesus, ‘I should ask you to baptize me. You should not ask me to baptize you.’
15 Jesus replied, ‘This time, do what I ask you to do. We must do everything correctly, as God wants it.’ So John did what Jesus asked him to do.
16 When John baptized him, Jesus came up out of the water. At that moment, the skies opened. Jesus saw God's Spirit coming down. He came down like a dove and he stayed on Jesus. 17 Then a voice spoke from heaven, which said, ‘This man is my Son and I love him. He makes me very happy.’
Footnotes
- 3:1 Judea was part of Israel.
- 3:3 See Isaiah 40:3. Isaiah was telling people about a man called John. John told the people to get ready for Jesus to come. People mend roads before a king travels along them. Isaiah used this as a picture. It helped the people to understand how to prepare themselves for Jesus.
- 3:4 A camel is a large animal that lives in the wilderness. It can carry heavy things on its back like a horse. The insects that John ate were called locusts. An insect called a bee makes honey. It is sweet like sugar.
- 3:6 John baptized people who wanted to stop doing wrong things. These people told God that they were sorry. They were sorry about the wrong things that they had done. God then forgave them.
- 3:7 The Pharisees were a group of Jews. They thought that they obeyed all God's rules. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. Sadducees were an important group of Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus.
- 3:11 Jesus is the important person who is coming. John is using a story to teach the people about the work that Jesus will do.
Matthew 3
New King James Version
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:
(E)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(F)‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
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.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 3:11 M omits and fire
- Matthew 3:16 Or he
Matteusevangeliet 3
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
Johannes Döparen
3 (A) Vid den tiden trädde Johannes Döparen fram och förkunnade i Judeens öken 2 (B) och sade: "Omvänd er! Himmelriket[a] är nära." 3 Det var om honom det sades genom profeten Jesaja:
En röst ropar i öknen:
Bana väg för Herren,
gör stigarna raka för honom![b]
4 Johannes hade kläder av kamelhår och ett läderbälte[c] runt midjan, och hans mat var gräshoppor[d] och vildhonung. 5 Folket i Jerusalem och hela Judeen och hela Jordanområdet kom ut till honom, 6 och de bekände sina synder och döptes av honom i floden Jordan.
7 (C) Men när han såg att många fariseer och saddukeer[e] kom till platsen där han döpte[f], sade han till dem: "Huggormsyngel![g] Vem har visat er att ni ska fly den kommande vredesdomen? 8 Bär då sådan frukt som hör till omvändelsen. 9 (D) Och tro inte att ni kan säga inom er: Vi har Abraham till far. För jag säger er att Gud kan väcka upp barn åt Abraham ur dessa stenar.[h] 10 (E) Yxan är redan satt till roten på träden. Varje träd som inte bär god frukt huggs bort och kastas i elden.
11 (F) Jag döper er i vatten till omvändelse. Men den som kommer efter mig är starkare än jag, och jag är inte ens värdig att ta av honom sandalerna[i]. Han ska döpa er i den helige Ande och eld. 12 (G) Han har sin kastskovel[j] i handen, och han ska rensa sin tröskplats och samla sitt vete i ladan. Men agnarna ska han bränna upp i en eld som aldrig slocknar."
Jesus blir döpt
13 (H) Sedan kom Jesus från Galileen till Johannes vid Jordan för att döpas av honom. 14 Men Johannes försökte hindra honom och sade: "Jag behöver döpas av dig – och du kommer till mig!" 15 Jesus svarade honom: "Låt det nu ske. Det är så vi ska uppfylla all rättfärdighet." Då lät han det ske.
16 (I) När Jesus hade blivit döpt, steg han genast upp ur vattnet. Då öppnades himlen, och han såg Guds Ande sänka sig ner som en duva och komma över honom. 17 (J) Och en röst från himlen sade: "Han är min älskade Son. I honom har jag min glädje."
Footnotes
- 3:2 Himmelriket Ordet "himlen" är en respektfull judisk omskrivning för Gud (jfr Mark 1:15, Matt 21:25, Luk 15:18). Himmelriket betyder alltså "där Gud regerar".
- 3:3 Jes 40:3.
- 3:4 kläder av kamelhår och ett läderbälte Så klädde sig botprofeten Elia (2 Kung 1:8, jfr Sak 13:4).
- 3:4 gräshoppor åts som fattigmansmat (jfr 3 Mos 11:22).
- 3:7 fariseer och saddukeer Saddukeernas prästaristokrati värnade om templet (Apg 4:1f), medan fariseernas folkliga lagfromhetsrörelse lade stor vikt vid religiösa renhetsregler (Matt 15:1f). De var politiska motståndare (Apg 23:6f) men vakade båda över den religiösa ordningen i landet (Joh 1:19f).
- 3:7 till platsen där han döpte Ordagrant: "till hans dop" (annan tolkning: för att bli döpta av honom, jfr dock Joh 1:19).
- 3:7 Huggormsyngel Dvs barn till djävulen, "den gamle ormen" (1 Mos 3:15, Upp 12:9, 20:2).
- 3:9 barn … stenar På hebreiska baním … abaním.
- 3:11 ta av honom sandalerna En slavs uppgift.
- 3:12 kastskovel Träspade för att rensa säd, en bild för Guds dom (Jer 15:7). Vinden blåste bort de värdelösa agnarna (Ps 1:4), medan sädeskornen föll tillbaka ner på tröskplatsen.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation