John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

3 About this time,^[a] John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness, ² “Repent, because the kingdom from^[b] heaven is near!” ³ He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said,

⁴ John had clothing made of camel’s hair and wore^[e] a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of grasshoppers^[f] and wild honey.

⁵ Then the people of^[g] Jerusalem, all Judea, and the entire region along the Jordan began flocking to him, ⁶ being baptized by him in the Jordan River while they confessed their sins.

⁷ But when John^[h] saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing,^[i] he told them, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! ⁹ Don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! ¹⁰ The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn’t producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I am baptizing you with^[j] water as evidence of repentance,^[k] but the one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. It is he who will baptize you with^[l] the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand. He will clean up his threshing floor and gather his grain into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”