¹ About that time John the Baptist first appeared, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea:

² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

³ John was the one who was spoken of in the prophet Isaiah, where he says — ‘The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness: “Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’

⁴ John’s clothes were made of camels’ hair, with a leather strap around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

⁵ At that time Jerusalem, and all Judea, as well as the whole district of the Jordan, went out to him

⁶ and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁷ But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to receive his baptism, he said to them: “You children of snakes! Who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

⁸ Let your life, then, prove your repentance;

⁹ and do not think that you can say among yourselves ‘Abraham is our ancestor,’ for I tell you that out of these stones God is able to raise descendants for Abraham!

¹⁰ Already the axe is lying at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that fails to bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ I, indeed, baptize you with water to teach repentance; but he who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

¹² His winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, and store his grain in the barn, but the chaff he will burn with a fire that cannot be put out.”

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him.

¹⁴ But John tried to prevent him. “I need to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why have you come to me?”

¹⁵ “This is the way it should be for now,” Jesus answered, “because we should do everything that God requires.” So John agreed.

¹⁶ After the baptism of Jesus, and just as he came up from the water, the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him,

¹⁷ and from the heavens there came a voice which said: “This is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy.”