3 ^(A)“Behold, I send ^(B)my messenger, and ^(C)he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord ^(D)whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and ^(E)the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

^5 (A)“Behold, I will send you ^(B)Elijah the prophet ^(C)before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶ And he will ^(D)turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and ^(E)strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”^[a]

^12 (A)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,^[a] and the violent take it by force. ^13 (B)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is ^(C)Elijah who is to come.

¹⁷ and ^(A)he will go before him ^(B)in the spirit and power of Elijah, ^(C)to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and ^(D)the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, ^(E)to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

^17 (A)For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and ^(B)bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. ^18 (C)For John had been saying to Herod, ^(D)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” ¹⁹ And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, ²⁰ for Herod ^(E)feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he ^(F)heard him gladly.

²¹ But an opportunity came when Herod ^(G)on his birthday ^(H)gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²² For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” ²³ And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, ^(I)up to half of my kingdom.” ²⁴ And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” ²⁵ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ²⁶ And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. ²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's^[a] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison ²⁸ and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his ^(J)disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.