^2 [a]while ^(A)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to ^(B)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ^3 (C)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance ^(D)for the remission of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

John Preaches to the People^(G)

⁷ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ^(H)“Brood^[b] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits ^(I)worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore ^(J)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ So the people asked him, saying, ^(K)“What shall we do then?”

¹¹ He answered and said to them, ^(L)“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, ^(M)let him do likewise.”