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.

7 But when he saw many of *ch. 23:13,15the Pharisees and *ch. 22:23Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, *ch. 12:34;23:33"You brood of *Ps. 140:3vipers! Who warned you to flee from *Rom. 5:9;Eph. 5:6;Col. 3:6;1 Thess. 1:10the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit *Acts 26:20in keeping with repentance. 9 And 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. 10 Even 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;19:4for repentance, but *John 1:15,27;3:30,31;Acts 13:25he 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 11:16with the Holy Spirit and *[Isa. 4:4;Mal. 3:2,3;Acts 2:3]fire. 12 His *Isa. 30:24winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and *ch. 13:30gather his wheat into the barn, *Mal. 4:1but 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?" 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, *Acts 7:56the 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; 17 and behold, *John 12:28a 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."