Matthew 3

¹In those days, John the Baptizer appears, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea ²and saying, "Turn back! For the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near."

³This is the one spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, who said: "A voice crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

⁴Now John himself wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan kept going out to him, ⁶and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they openly confessed their sins.

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Produce fruit worthy of your turning, ⁹and do not presume to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹"I baptize you in water for turning. But the one coming after me is more powerful than I—I am not fit to carry his sandals. He will baptize you in holy spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean his threshing floor. He will gather his grain into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

¹³Then Jesus arrives from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. ¹⁴But John kept trying to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and you are coming to me?" ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, "Permit it for now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted him.

¹⁶When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up from the water—and look: the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, coming upon him. ¹⁷And look: a voice from the heavens, saying, "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I delight."