In those days John the Baptist appeared, and preached in the desert of Judea.

John wore clothing made of hair cloth, and he had a leather belt around his waist, and he lived on dried locusts and wild honey.

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

But John dissuaded him, and said, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

But Jesus answered, "Let it be so this time, for it is right for us to do everything that God requires." Then John consented.

But when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he retreated to Galilee.

And he went on a little farther and saw two other men who were brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, putting their nets in order, and he called them.

Then the disciples of John came up to him and said, "Why is it that we and the Pharisees are keeping the fast, while your disciples are not keeping it?"

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James the son of Zebedee and his brother John,

Now when John heard in prison of what the Christ was doing, he sent by his disciples

Jesus answered, "Go and report to John what you hear and see.

But as they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What was it that you went out into the desert to look at? A reed swaying in the wind?

"I tell you, among men born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has ever appeared. And yet those who are of little importance in the Kingdom of Heaven are greater than he.

But from the time of John the Baptist until now men have been taking the Kingdom of Heaven by storm and impetuously crowding into it.

For up to the time of John all the Prophets and the Law itself prophesied about it,

For when John came, he neither ate nor drank, and people said, 'He has a demon!'

and he said to his attendants, "This man must be John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why wonderful powers are working through him."

For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,

for John said to him, "It is not right for you to be living with her."

But she, at her mother's instigation, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter!"

And he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

John's disciples came and took his body away, and buried him, and then they went and reported it to Jesus.

They said, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Six days after this, Jesus took Peter and James and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain, by themselves.

Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Where did John's baptism come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'It was from heaven,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

But if we say, 'From men,' we have the people to fear, for they all consider John a prophet."

For John came to you with a way of uprightness, and you would not believe him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes believed him, but even after seeing that, you would not change your minds and believe him!