The Messiah’s Herald

3 In those days John the Baptist came,^(A) preaching in the Wilderness of Judea^{(B) 2} and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”^{(C) 3} For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

⁴ John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.^(E)

⁷ When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees^(F) coming to the place of his baptism,^[b] he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(G) 8} Therefore produce fruit^(H) consistent with^[c] repentance. ⁹ And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(I) For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! ¹⁰ Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(J)

⁴ John came baptizing^[b](D) in the wilderness^(E) and preaching a baptism of repentance^[c](F) for the forgiveness^(G) of sins.^{(H) 5} The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem^(I) were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan^(J) River as they confessed^(K) their sins.^(L)