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.”

John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus^(A)

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² and Annas and Caiaphas high priests, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ John^[a] went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

⁷ John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! ⁹ The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”

¹⁵ Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah.^{[a] 16} John replied to all of them, “I’m baptizing you with^[b] water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I’m not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with^[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He’ll gather the grain into his barn, but he’ll burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”

The Testimony of John the Baptist^(A)

¹⁹ This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders^[a] sent priests and descendants of Levi to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰ He spoke openly and, remaining true to himself,^[b] admitted, “I am not the Messiah.”^[c]

²¹ So they asked him, “Well then, are you Elijah?”

John^[d] said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

²² “Who are you?” they asked him. “We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ He replied, “I am

as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴ Now those men^[g] had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah,^[h] or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

²⁶ John answered them, “I am baptizing with^[i] water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know, ²⁷ the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ This happened in Bethany^[j] on the other side^[k] of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.