Matthew 3
3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the Desert of Judea. 2He said, “Turn away from your sins! The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3John is the one Isaiah the prophet had spoken about. He had said,
“A messenger is calling out in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make straight paths for him.’ ” (Isaiah 40:3)
4John’s clothes were made out of camel’s hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea. They also came from the whole area around the Jordan River. 6When they confessed their sins, John baptized them in the Jordan.
7John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing. He said to them, “You are like a nest of poisonous snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming of God’s anger? 8Live in a way that shows you have turned away from your sins. 9Don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones. 10The ax is ready to cut the roots of the trees. All the trees that don’t produce good fruit will be cut down. They will be thrown into the fire.
11“I baptize you with water, calling you to turn away from your sins. But after me, someone is coming who is more powerful than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His pitchfork is in his hand to clear the straw from his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the storeroom. But he will burn up the husks with fire that can’t be put out.”
Jesus Is Baptized
13Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He wanted to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to stop him. So he told Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you. So why do you come to me?”
15Jesus replied, “Let it be this way for now. It is right for us to do this. It carries out God’s holy plan.” Then John agreed.
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened. Jesus saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. 17A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.”
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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Matthew 3
3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 # For ver. 1-12, see Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:2-17 In those days #John 1:6, 7 John the Baptist came preaching in #Josh. 15:61; [Judg. 1:16]the wilderness of Judea, 2#ch. 4:17; Mark 1:15 “Repent, for #ch. 10:7; Dan. 2:44; [ch. 6:10]the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”#3:2 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near 3For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
#
John 1:23; Cited from Isa. 40:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
#
Luke 1:76
‘Prepare#3:3 Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4Now John wore #2 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 was #Lev. 11:22 locusts and #1 Sam. 14:26wild honey. 5Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, #Acts 19:18confessing their sins.
7But when he saw many of #ch. 23:13, 15 the Pharisees and #ch. 22:23 Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, #ch. 12:34; 23:33 “You brood of #Ps. 140:3 vipers! Who warned you to flee from #Rom. 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit #Acts 26:20in keeping with repentance. 9And do not presume to say to yourselves, #John 8:39 ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from #[ch. 4:3]these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. #ch. 7:19; Luke 13:7, 9; John 15:2, 6Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 #
John 1:26; Acts 1:5 “I baptize you with water #Acts 13:24; 19:4 for repentance, but #John 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 you #John 1:33; Acts 11:16 with the Holy Spirit and #[Isa. 4:4; Mal. 3:2, 3; Acts 2:3]fire. 12His #Isa. 30:24 winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and #ch. 13:30 gather his wheat into the barn, #Mal. 4:1 but the chaff he will burn with #Mark 9:43, 48unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 # For ver. 13-17, see Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21, 22; [John 1:32-34] Then Jesus came #ch. 2:22from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14#[John 13:6]John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, #Acts 7:56 the heavens were opened to him,#3:16 Some manuscripts omit to him and he #John 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; 17and behold, #John 12:28 a voice from heaven said, #ch. 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,#3:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved with whom I am well pleased.”
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