Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 Celebrate joyfully in the Lord, all the time. I’ll say it again: celebrate! 5 Let everybody know how gentle and gracious you are. The Lord is near.
6 Don’t worry about anything. Rather, in every area of life let God know what you want, as you pray and make requests, and give thanks as well. 7 And God’s peace, which is greater than we can ever understand, will keep guard over your hearts and minds in Messiah Jesus.
7 “You brood of vipers,” John used to say to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him. “Who told you to escape from the coming anger? 8 You’d better prove your repentance by bearing the proper fruit! Don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; let me tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 The axe is already standing by the roots of the tree—so every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
John the Baptist confronts the crowds
10 “What shall we do?” asked the crowds.
11 “Anyone who has two cloaks,” replied John, “should give one to someone who hasn’t got one. The same applies to anyone who has plenty of food.”
12 Some toll-collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they said, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect more than what is laid down,” he replied.
14 Some soldiers, too, asked John, “What about us? What should we do?”
“No extortion,” replied John, “and no blackmail. Be content with your wages.”
15 The people were very excited, and everyone was questioning in their hearts whether John might not be the Messiah. 16 To all of them John responded: “I am baptizing you with water. But someone is coming who is stronger than I am. I don’t deserve to untie his sandal-strap. He will baptize you with the holy spirit and with fire. 17 He will have his winnowing-fork to hand, ready to sort out the mess on his threshing floor and gather the corn into his barn. Any rubbish he will burn with a fire that will never go out.”
18 John urged his news on the people with many other words.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.