3:1 Now in those days John the Baptist * ①came, ②preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
▷ ①Or arrived; or appeared ②Or proclaiming as a herald
3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven ①is at hand.”
▷ ①Lit has come near
3:3 For this is the one referred to ①by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“THE VOICE OF ONE ②CALLING ③OUT IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’ ”
▷ ①Or through ②Or shouting ③Or out, Prepare in the wilderness the way
3:4 Now John himself had ①a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
▷ ①Lit his garment
3:5 At that time Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan;
3:6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for ①baptism, he said to them, “You ②offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
▷ ①Later mss his baptism ②Or brood
3:8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance;
3:9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.
3:10 And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.
3:11 “As for me, I baptize you ①with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you ②with the Holy Spirit and fire.
▷ ①The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by ②The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by
3:12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
3:13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him.
3:14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?”
3:15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *allowed Him.
3:16 After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and ①he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and ②settling on Him,
▷ ①Or He ②Lit coming upon Him
3:17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is ①My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
▷ ①Or My Son, the Beloved