But the angel said to him: " Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, whom you shall call by the name John.

When his mother interposed: "No, he is to be called John."

Asking for a writing-tablet, he wrote the words--'His name is John.' Every one was surprised;

And when Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests, a Command from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, while he was in the wilderness.

And John went through the whole district of the Jordan, proclaiming baptism upon repentance, for the forgiveness of sins.

And John said to the crowds that went to be baptized by him: "You brood of vipers! who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

"Let the man who has two coats," answered John, "share with him who has none; and the man who has food do the same."

Even tax-gatherers came to be baptized, and said to John: "Teacher, what are we to do?"

"Do not collect more than you have authority to demand," John answered.

Then, while the people were in suspense, and were all debating with themselves whether John could be the Christ,

John, addressing them all, said: "I, indeed, baptize you with water; but there is coming one more powerful than I, and I am not fit even to unfasten his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

And so with many different exhortations John told his Good News to the people.

But Prince Herod, being rebuked by John respecting Herodias, the wife of Herod's brother, and for all the evil things that he had done,

Crowned them all by shutting John up in prison.

And so, too, were James and John, Zebediah's sons, who were Simon's partners. "Do not be afraid," Jesus said to Simon; "from to-day you shall catch men."

"John's disciples," they said to Jesus, "Often fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, while yours are eating and drinking!"

They were Simon (whom Jesus also named Peter), and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

All these events were reported to John by his disciples.

When these men found Jesus, they said: "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask--'Are you 'The Coming One,' or are we to look for somebody else?'"

So his answer to the question was: "Go and report to John what you have witnessed and heard--the blind recover their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is told to the poor.

When John's messengers had left, Jesus, speaking to the crowds, began to say with reference to John:

There is, I tell you, no one born of a woman who is greater than John; and yet the lowliest in the Kingdom of God is greater than he."

(All the people, when they heard this, and even the tax- gatherers, having accepted John's baptism, acknowledged the justice of God.

But the Pharisees and the Students of the Law, having rejected John's baptism, frustrated God's purpose in regard to them.)

For now that John the Baptist has come, not eating bread or drinking wine, you are saying 'He has a demon in him';

When he reached the house, he did not allow any one to go in with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother.

Prince Herod heard of all that was happening, and was perplexed, because it was said by some that John must be risen from the dead.

But Herod himself said: "John I beheaded; but who is this of whom I hear such things?" And he endeavored to see him.

"John the Baptist," was their answer; "others, however, say that you are Elijah, while others say that one of the old Prophets has risen again."

About eight days after speaking these words, Jesus went up the mountain to pray, taking with him Peter, John, and James.

Thereupon John said: "Sir, we saw a man driving out demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow you with us."

"None of you must prevent him," Jesus said to John; "he who is not against you is for you."

When James and John saw this, they said: "Master, do you wish us to call for fire to come down from the heavens and consume them?"

One day Jesus was at a certain place praying, and, when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him: "Master, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

The Law and the Prophets sufficed until the time of John. Since then the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been told, and everybody has been forcing his way into it.

It is about John's baptism--was it of divine or of human origin?"

But, if we say 'human,' the people will all stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a Prophet."

Jesus sent forward Peter and John, saying to them: "Go and make preparations for our eating the Passover."

So Peter and John went on, and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover.