In those days John the Baptist came on the scene, preaching in the desert of Judaea,

This John had his clothes made of camel's hair, with a leather girdle round his loins; his food was locusts and wild honey.

Then Jesus came on the scene from Galilee, to get baptized by John at the Jordan.

John tried to prevent him; "I need to get baptized by you," he said, "and you come to me!"

But Jesus answered him, "Come now, this is how we should fulfil all our duty to God." Then John gave in to him.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee; ??13 he left Nazaret and settled at Capharnahum beside the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali

Then going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedaeus and his brother John, mending their nets in the boat beside their father Zebedaeus. He called them,

Then the disciples of John came up to him and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast a great deal, and your disciples do not fast?"

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedaeus and John his brother,

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

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

As the disciples of John went away, Jesus proceeded to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

I tell you truly, no one has arisen among the sons of women who is greater than John the Baptist, and yet the least in the Realm of heaven is greater than he is.

From the days of John the Baptist till now the Realm of heaven suffers violence, and the violent press into it.

For all the prophets and the law prophesied of it until John: ??14 if you care to believe it, he is the Elijah who is to come.

For John has come neither eating nor drinking, and men say, 'He has a devil';

He replied to them, "It is an evil and disloyal generation that craves a Sign, but no Sign will be given to it except the Sign of the prophet Jonah;

for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Ninive will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for when Jonah preached they did repent, and here is One greater than Jonah.

And he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead. That is why miraculous powers are working through him."

For Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias the wife of his brother Philip,

since John had told him, "You have no right to her."

He was anxious to kill him but he was afraid of the people, for they held John to be a prophet.

And she, at the instigation of her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head this moment on a dish."

he sent and had John beheaded in the prison,

"It is an evil and disloyal generation that craves a Sign, and no Sign shall be given to it except the Sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away.

They told him, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Jesus answered him, "You are a blessed man, Simon Bar-jona, for it was my Father in heaven, not flesh and blood, that revealed this to you.

Six days afterwards Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John, and led them up a high hill by themselves;

Then the disciples realized he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Where did the baptism of John come from? From heaven or from men?" Now they argued to themselves, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

And if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet."

For John showed you the way to be good and you would not believe him; the taxgatherers and harlots believed him, and even though you saw that, you would not change your mind afterwards and believe him.

the voice of one who cries in the desert, 'Make the way ready for the Lord, level the paths for him' ??4 John appeared baptizing in the desert and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

John was dressed in camel's hair, with a leather girdle round his loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Now it was in those days that Jesus arrived from Nazaret in Galilee and got baptized in the Jordan by John.

After John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the gospel of God;

Then going on a little further he saw James the son of Zebedaeus and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets;

On leaving the synagogue they went straight to the house of Simon and Andrew, accompanied by James and John.

As the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were observing a fast, people came and asked him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, and your disciples do not fast?"

James the son of Zebedaeus and John the brother of James (he surnamed them Boanerges, or "Sons of thunder"),

He would not allow anyone to accompany him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

Now this came to the hearing of king Herod, for the name of Jesus had become well known; people said, "John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, that is why miraculous powers are working through him;"

But when Herod heard of it he said, "John has risen, the John I beheaded."

For this Herod had sent and arrested John and bound him in prison on account of his marriage to Herodias the wife of his brother Philip;

John had told Herod, "You have no right to your brother's wife."

for Herod stood in awe of John, knowing he was a just and holy man; so he protected John ??he was greatly exercised when he listened to him, still he was glad to listen to him.

So she went out and said to her mother, "What am I to ask?" "John the Baptizer's head," she answered.

Then she hurried in at once and asked the king, saying, "I want you to give me this very moment John the Baptist's head on a dish."

"John the Baptist," they told him, "though some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets."

Six days afterwards Jesus took Peter, James and John, and led them up a high hill by themselves alone; in their presence he was transfigured,

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out daemons in your name; but he does not follow us, and so we stopped him."

James and John, the sons of Zebedaeus, came up to him saying, "Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you."

Now when the ten heard of this, they burst into anger at James and John;

What about the baptism of John? Was it from heaven or from men?"

No, let us say, From men" ??but they were afraid of the multitude, for the people all held John had been really a prophet.

And as he sat on the Hill of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him in private,

But he took Peter and James and John along with him; and as he began to feel appalled and agitated,

but the angel said to him, "Fear not, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard; your wife Elizabeth will bear a son to you, and you must call his name John.

but the mother told them, "No, the child is to be called John."

and he asked for a writing-tablet and wrote down, "His name is John," to the astonishment of all.

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert;

To the crowds who came out to get baptized by him John said, "You brood of vipers, who told you to flee from the coming Wrath?

Now as people's expectations were roused and as everybody thought to himself about John, "Can he be the Christ,"

John said to them all, "I baptize you with water, but after me one who is mightier will come, and I am not fit to untie the string of his sandals; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.

crowned all by shutting John up in prison.

the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

as was the case with James and John, the sons of Zebedaeus, who were partners of Simon. Then said Jesus to Simon, "Have no fear; from now your catch will be men."

They said to him, "The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, as do the disciples of the Pharisees; but your adherents eat and drink."

Simon (to whom he gave the name of Peter), Andrew his brother, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

John's disciples reported all this to him.

So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, "Are you the Coming One? Or are we to look out for someone else?"

When the men reached Jesus they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask if you are the Coming One or if we are to look out for someone else?"

So he replied, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached.

When John's messengers had gone, he proceeded to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

I tell you, among the sons of women there is none greater than John, and yet the least in the Realm of God is greater than he is."

(On hearing this all the people and the taxgatherers acknowledged the justice of God, as they had been baptized with the baptism of John;

For John the Baptist has come, eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a devil';

Joanna the wife of Chuza the chancellor of Herod, Susanna, and a number of others, who ministered to him out of their means.

His mother and brothers reached him but they were unable to join him for the crowd.

When he reached the house he would not allow anyone to come in with him except Peter and James and John, and the child's father and mother.

When Herod the tetrarch heard all that was going on, he was quite at a loss; for some said that John had risen from the dead,

Herod said, "John I beheaded. But who is this, of whom I hear such tales?" And he made efforts to see him.

They replied, "John the Baptist, though some say Elijah and some say that one of the ancient prophets has arisen."

It was about eight days after he said this, when he took Peter, John, and James, and went up the hillside to pray.

John said to him, "Master, we saw a man casting out daemons in your name, but we stopped him because he is not a follower of ours."

So when the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, will you have us bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?"

He was praying at a certain place, and when he stopped one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

As the crowds were thronging to him, he proceeded to say, "This is an evil generation: it demands a Sign, but no Sign will be given to it except the Sign of Jonah;

for as Jonah was a Sign to the Ninivites, so shall the Son of man be to this generation.

The men of Ninive will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for when Jonah preached they did repent, and here is One greater than Jonah.

The Law and the prophets lasted till John; since then the good news of the Realm of God is preached, and anyone presses in.

did the baptism of John come from heaven or from men?"

And if we say, 'From men,' the whole of the people will stone us, for they are convinced John was a prophet."

So Jesus despatched Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the passover for us that we may eat it."

(It was Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James who with the rest of the women told this to the apostles.)

A man appeared, sent by God, whose name was John:

(John testified to him with the cry, 'This was he of whom I said, my successor has taken precedence of me, for he preceded me.')

Now here is John's testimony. When the Jews of Jerusalem despatched priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?"

"I am baptizing with water," John replied, "but my successor is among you, One whom you do not recognize,