Mattityahu (Mat) 3
3
1It was during those days that Yochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert of Y’hudah and began proclaiming the message, 2“Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” 3This is the man Yesha‘yahu was talking about when he said,
“The voice of someone crying out:
‘In the desert prepare the way of Adonai!
Make straight paths for him!’”
4Yochanan wore clothes of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Yerushalayim, from all Y’hudah, and from the whole region around the Yarden. 6Confessing their sins, they were immersed by him in the Yarden River.
7But when Yochanan saw many of the P’rushim and Tz’dukim coming to be immersed by him, he said to them, “You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? 8If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it! 9And don’t suppose you can comfort yourselves by saying, ‘Avraham is our father’! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! 10Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire! 11It’s true that I am immersing you in water so that you might turn from sin to God; but the one coming after me is more powerful than I — I’m not worthy even to carry his sandals — and he will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire. 12He has with him his winnowing fork; and he will clear out his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn but burning up the straw with unquenchable fire!”
13Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan. 14But Yochanan tried to stop him. “You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!” 15However, Yeshua answered him, “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” Then Yochanan let him. 16As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, 17and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him.”
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Mattityahu (Mat) 3: CJB
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3
John Prepares the Way for Jesus
(Mk. 1:1–8; Lk. 3:1–9, 15–17; Jn. 1:19–28)
1When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began telling people a message from God. This was out in the desert area of Judea. 2John said, “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.#3:2 is now very near Or “is coming soon” or “has come.”” 3John is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said,
“There is someone shouting in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make the road straight for him.’” Isaiah 40:3
4John’s clothes were made from camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. 5People came to John from Jerusalem and the rest of Judea and from all the areas along the Jordan River. 6They confessed the bad things they had done, and John baptized them in the Jordan.
7Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run from God’s judgment that is coming? 8Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you have changed. 9I know what you are thinking. You want to say, ‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you, God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. 10The ax is now ready to cut down the trees.#3:10 trees The people who don’t obey God. They are like “trees” that will be cut down. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“I baptize you with water to show that you have changed your hearts and lives. But there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who takes off his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12He will come ready to clean the grain.#3:12 clean the grain Meaning that Jesus will separate the good people from those who are bad. He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will put the good part into his barn. Then he will burn the useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped.”
Jesus Is Baptized by John
(Mk. 1:9–11; Lk. 3:21–22)
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He came to John, wanting John to baptize him. 14But John tried to stop him. John said, “Why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you!”
15Jesus answered, “Let it be this way for now. We should do whatever God says is right.” Then John agreed.
16So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 17A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.”
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