Matthew 3

1In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea with a message. 2“Repent,” he proclaimed, “because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3John is the one the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said, “A voice is calling out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, straighten the roads he will travel.’” 4John himself dressed in clothing woven from camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 5Crowds kept coming out to him from Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from all the country along the Jordan. 6They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

7But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You family of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming wrath? 8So produce fruit that shows your repentance is real. 9Do not imagine you can comfort yourselves by saying, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God is able to make children for Abraham out of these stones. 10The ax is already set against the root of the trees. Any tree that fails to bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11I baptize you with water for repentance. But one who comes after me is mightier than I am, and I am not fit even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12He has his winnowing fork in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”

13Then Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John tried to stop him. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “and yet you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered, “Allow it for now. This is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John let him be baptized. 16Jesus was baptized, and he came straight up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and settling on him. 17And a voice spoke from heaven: “This is my dearly loved Son, and I delight in him.”