The Work of John the Baptist^(A)

3 ·About that time [In the course of time; ^LIn those days] John the Baptist began preaching in the ·desert area [wilderness] of Judea. ² John said, “·Change your hearts and lives [Repent] because the kingdom of heaven ·is near [has drawn near; is at hand].” ³ ·John the Baptist [^LFor this] is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said:

⁴ John’s clothes were made from camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist [^Creminiscent of the prophet Elijah; 2 Kin. 1:8]. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey [^Csignifies living off the land]. ⁵ Many people came from Jerusalem and Judea and all the ·area [region] around the Jordan River to hear John. ⁶ They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁷ Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, “You ·are snakes [^Tbrood/offspring of vipers]! Who warned you to ·run [slither; ^Lflee] away from God’s coming ·punishment [wrath; retribution]? ⁸ ·Do the things [^LProduce the fruit] ·that show you really have changed your hearts and lives [that prove your repentance; ^Lof repentance]. ⁹ And don’t ·think you can [presume to] say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father [^Ca claim to be God’s special people].’ [^LFor] I tell you that God could ·make [create; ^Lraise up] children for Abraham from these rocks. ¹⁰ The ax ·is now ready to cut down [already lies at the root of] the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire [^Ca metaphor for judgment].

John Preaches About the Christ^(B)

¹¹ “I baptize you with water ·to show that your hearts and lives have changed [for repentence]. But there is one coming after me who is ·greater [mightier; more powerful] than I am, whose sandals I am not ·good enough [fit; qualified] to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² ·He will come ready [^LThe winnowing fork is in his hand] to clean the grain, ·separating the good grain from the chaff [^Lto clear his threshing floor]. He will put ·the good part of the grain [^Lthe grain/wheat] into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with ·a fire that cannot be put out [never-ending/unquenchable fire; ^Ca metaphor for judgment, when Jesus will separate the righteous from the wicked].”