Matthew 3

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 *For ver. 1-12, see Mark 1:2-8;Luke 3:2-17In those days *John 1:6,7John 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 near3 For 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.’"

4 Now 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. 11:22locusts and *1 Sam. 14:26wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, *Acts 19:18confessing their sins.