The King's coming announced by John the Baptist
3
📚✭In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 📚and saying, “Repent✭, for the kingdom of heaven✭ is at hand✭”. 3 📚✭ For this is the one who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying,The voice of one crying out
in the wilderness,
Prepare the way of the Lord✭.
Make his paths straight.
4 📚✭And John himself had his cloak of camel's hair, and a leather belt around his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 📚Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around Jordan, went out to him, 6 📚✭and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 📚But when he saw many of the Pharisees✭ and Sadducees✭ coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers✭, who has warned you to flee from the wrath✭ to come? 8 📚Therefore produce fruit✭ worthy of repentance, 9 📚✭and do not think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father.’ For I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 📚✭And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire✭.
11 📚“I indeed baptize you with water for repentance✭. But the one who comes after me✭ is mightier than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire✭. 12 📚His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and gather his wheat into the barn. But he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”.
The King is baptized and hears a voice from heaven
13 📚✭Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 📚But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 📚And Jesus, answering, said to him, “Permit it now, for in this way it is proper for us to fulfil all righteousness”. Then he permitted him. 16 📚✭And Jesus, when he was baptized, immediately went up out of the water. And suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 📚✭And now a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”.