The Herald of the Messiah

In those days John the Baptist came,(A) preaching in the wilderness of Judea(B) and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (C) For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight![a](D)

Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.(E)

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees(F) coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(G) Therefore produce fruit(H) consistent with[b] repentance. And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(I) For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.(J)

11 “I baptize you with[c] water for repentance,(K) but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove[d] his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.(L) 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 3:3 Is 40:3
  2. 3:8 Lit fruit worthy of
  3. 3:11 Or in
  4. 3:11 Or to carry

In en · de · ho those ekeinos days hēmera John Iōannēs the ho Baptist baptistēs began paraginomai his mission in en the ho wilderness erēmos of ho Judea Ioudaia, proclaiming kēryssō, · kai Repent metanoeō, for gar the ho kingdom basileia of ho heaven ouranos is at hand engizō. For gar this houtos is eimi he ho who was spoken legō of by dia Isaiah ēsaias the ho prophet prophētēs when he said legō, ‘The voice phōnē of one crying boaō out in en the ho wilderness erēmos: Prepare hetoimazō the ho way hodos of the Lord kyrios; make poieō his autos paths tribos straight.’” · ho

Now de · ho John Iōannēs wore echō · ho clothing endyma made of apo camel’ s kamēlos hair thrix, with kai a leather dermatinos belt zōnē about peri · ho his autos waist osphys; · ho and de his autos food trophē was eimi locusts akris and kai wild agrios honey meli. At that time tote people were going ekporeuomai out to pros him autos from Jerusalem Hierosolyma and kai all pas · ho Judea Ioudaia and kai all pas the ho region perichōros along the ho Jordan Iordanēs, and kai they were being baptized baptizō by hypo him autos in en the ho Jordan Iordanēs River potamos, confessing exomologeomai · ho their autos sins hamartia.

But de when he saw many polys of the ho Pharisees Pharisaios and kai Sadducees Saddoukaios coming erchomai for epi · ho baptism baptisma, he said legō to them autos, “ You brood gennēma of vipers echidna! Who tis warned hypodeiknymi you hymeis to flee pheugō from apo the ho coming mellō wrath orgē? Therefore oun bear poieō fruit karpos worthy axios of ho repentance metanoia, and kai do not presume dokeō you can say legō to en yourselves heautou, ‘ We have echō · ho Abraham Abraam as our father patēr’; for gar I say legō to you hymeis that hoti God theos is able dynamai · ho from ek · ho these houtos stones lithos to raise egeirō up children teknon to ho Abraham Abraam. 10 Even de now ēdē the ho axe axinē is lying keimai at pros the ho root rhiza of the ho trees dendron; so oun any pas tree dendron that does not bear poieō good kalos fruit karpos will be cut ekkoptō down and kai thrown ballō into eis the fire pyr.

11  I egō baptize baptizō you hymeis with en water hydōr for eis repentance metanoia, but de the ho one who comes erchomai after opisō me egō is eimi greater ischuros than I egō I am eimi not ou worthy hikanos even to remove bastazō his hos · ho sandals hypodēma. He autos will baptize baptizō you hymeis with en the Holy hagios Spirit pneuma and kai with fire pyr. 12 His hos · ho winnowing fork ptyon is in en · ho his autos hand cheir, and kai he will clean diakatharizō out · ho his autos threshing halōn floor and kai gather synagō · ho his autos wheat sitos into eis the ho barn apothēkē; but de the ho chaff achuron he will burn katakaiō up with unquenchable asbestos fire pyr.”

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