1 hFor ver. 1-12, see Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:2-17 In those daysiJohn 1:6, 7 John the Baptist came preaching injJosh. 15:61; [Judg. 1:16] the wilderness of Judea,
2 kch. 4:17; Mark 1:15 “Repent, forlch. 10:7; Dan. 2:44; [ch. 6:10] the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ”
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
mJohn 1:23; Cited from Isa. 40:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
nLuke 1:76 ‘Prepare1Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight. ’ ”
4 Now John woreo2 Kgs. 1:8; Zech. 13:4; [Heb. 11:37] a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food waspLev. 11:22 locusts andq1 Sam. 14:26 wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,rActs 19:18 confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many ofsch. 23:13, 15 the Pharisees andtch. 22:23 Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them,uch. 12:34; 23:33 “You brood ofvPs. 140:3 vipers! Who warned you to flee fromwRom. 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10 the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruitxActs 26:20 in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves,yJohn 8:39 ‘We have Abraham as our father, ’ for I tell you, God is able fromz[ch. 4:3] these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.ach. 7:19; Luke 13:7, 9; John 15:2, 6 Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 bJohn 1:26; Acts 1:5 I baptize you with watercActs 13:24; 19:4 for repentance, butdJohn 1:15, 27; 3:30, 31; Acts 13:25 he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize youeJohn 1:33; Acts 11:16 with the Holy Spirit and withf[Isa. 4:4; Mal. 3:2, 3; Acts 2:3] fire. 12 HisgIsa. 30:24 winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor andhch. 13:30 gather his wheat into the barn,iMal. 4:1 but the chaff he will burn withjMark 9:43, 48 unquenchable fire. ”
13 kFor ver. 13-17, see Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21, 22; [John 1:32-34] Then Jesus camelch. 2:22 from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 m[John 13:6] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? ” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. ” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold,oActs 7:56 the heavens were opened to him, and hepJohn 1:32, 33; [Luke 4:18, 21; Acts 10:38] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold,qJohn 12:28 a voice from heaven said,rch. 17:5; 2 Pet. 1:17; [Ps. 2:7; Isa. 42:1; Eph. 1:6; Col. 1:13; 1 John 5:9] “This is my beloved Son,1Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved with whom I am well pleased. ”