¹ And in those days cometh John the Baptist, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,

² and saying, `Reform, for come nigh hath the reign of the heavens,'

³ for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, `A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths.'

⁴ And this John had his clothing of camel's hair, and a girdle of skin round his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and honey of the field.

⁵ Then were going forth unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan,

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

⁷ And having seen many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming about his baptism, he said to them, `Brood of vipers! who did shew you to flee from the coming wrath?

⁸ bear, therefore, fruits worthy of the reformation,

⁹ and do not think to say in yourselves, A father we have--Abraham, for I say to you, that God is able out of these stones to raise children to Abraham,

¹⁰ and now also, the axe unto the root of the trees is laid, every tree therefore not bearing good fruit is hewn down, and to fire is cast.

¹¹ `I indeed do baptize you with water to reformation, but he who after me is coming is mightier than I, of whom I am not worthy to bear the sandals, he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire,

¹² whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and will gather his wheat to the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.'

¹³ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee upon the Jordan, unto John to be baptized by him,

¹⁴ but John was forbidding him, saying, `I have need by thee to be baptized--and thou dost come unto me!'

¹⁵ But Jesus answering said to him, `Suffer now, for thus it is becoming to us to fulfil all righteousness,' then he doth suffer him.

¹⁶ And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and lo, opened to him were the heavens, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him,

¹⁷ and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, `This is My Son--the Beloved, in whom I did delight.'