Matthew 3:1-12 - John The Baptist Begins His Ministry

¹ Now, in those days, came John the Immerser, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judaea; ² saying, Repent ye, - for the kingdom of the heavens hath drawn near. ³ For, this, is he who was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, A voice, of one crying aloud! In the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight, be making his paths.

⁴ But John, himself, had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, - while, his food, was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then, were going forth unto him - Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the country round about the Jordan: ⁶ and were being immersed in the Jordan river, by him, openly confessing their sins.

⁷ But, seeing, many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, coming unto his immersion, he said to them, - Broods of vipers! who suggested to you, to be fleeing from the coming wrath? ⁸ Bring forth, therefore, fruit worthy of repentance; ⁹ and think not to be saying within yourselves, - As our father, we have, Abraham; for, I say unto you, that God is able, out of these stones, to raise up children unto Abraham. ¹⁰ Already also, the axe, unto the root of the trees, is being laid, - every tree, therefore, not bringing forth good fruit, is to be hewn down, and, into fire, to be cast.

¹¹ I, indeed, am immersing you, in water, unto repentance, - but, he who, after me, cometh is, mightier than I, whose, sandals, I am not worthy to bear, he, will immerse you, in Holy Spirit and fire: ¹² Whose fan is in his hand, and he will clear out his threshing-floor, - and will gather his wheat into the granary, but, the chaff, will he burn up with fire unquenchable.

¹ Beginning of the glad-message of Jesus Christ. ² According as it is written in Isaiah the prophet - Lo! I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way, - ³ A voice of one crying aloud - In the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight, be making his paths.

⁴ John the Immerser came, in the wilderness, proclaiming an immersion of repentance for remission of sins; ⁵ and there were going out unto him all the Judaea country and all they of Jerusalem, and were being immersed by him in the Jordan river, openly confessing their sins; ⁶ and John was clothed with camel's-hair and a leathern girdle about his loins, and was eating locusts and wild honey; ⁷ and he proclaimed, saying - He that is mightier than I cometh after me, of whom I am not worthy to stoop and unloose the strap of his sandals: ⁸ I, have immersed you, with water, - He, will immerse you, with the Holy Spirit.

¹ Now, in the fifteenth year of the supremacy of Tiberius Caesar, - Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and, Philip his brother, tetrarch of Ituraea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanius, tetrarch of Abylene, - ² in the High-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, came a word of God unto John the son, of Zechariah, in rue desert; ³ and he came into all the country about the Jordan, proclaiming an immersion of repentance into remission of sins: ⁴ as it is written in the book of the discourses of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one crying aloud! In the desert, prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight, be making his paths; ⁵ Every chasm, shall be filled up, and, every mountain and hill, be made low; and the, crooked, places shall become, straight, and the, rugged, places, smooth ways; - ⁶ And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

⁷ He was saying, therefore, unto the multitudes who were going forth to be immersed by him - Broods of vipers! who suggested to you, to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to be saying within yourselves, As our father, we have, Abraham; for, I say unto you - God is able, out of these stones, to raise up children unto Abraham. ⁹ And, already, even the axe, unto the root of the trees is being laid; every tree, therefore, not bringing forth goodfruit, is to be hewn down, and, into fire, to be cast.

¹⁰ And the multitude began to question him saying - What, then, shall we do?

¹¹ And, answering, he said unto them - He that hath two tunics, let him share with him that hath none, and, he that hath food, in like manner, let him be doing.

¹² And there came, even tax-collectors, to be immersed; and they said unto him - Teacher! what, shall we, do?

¹³ And, he, said unto them, Nothing more than what is appointed you, exact ye.

¹⁴ Then were questioning him, soldiers also, saying - What shall, even we, do? And he said unto them - Molest ye, no one, neither accuse falsely; and be content with your supplies.

¹⁵ Now, as the people were in expectation, and all were deliberating in their hearts, concerning John, - whether by any means, he, might be, the Christ, ¹⁶ John answered, saying unto all - I, indeed, in water, am immersing you, but he that is mightier than I, cometh, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to unloose, - he, will immerse you m Holy Spirit and fire: ¹⁷ whose fan is in his hand, to clear out his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary; but, the chaff, will he burn up with fire unquenchable. ¹⁸ So then indeed, as to many things and various, he exhorted, and continued telling his glad-message unto the people. ¹⁹ But, Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias, the wife of his brother, and concerning all the wicked things Herod had done, ²⁰ added this also unto all, - he locked up John in prison.