.
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for [h]baptism, he said to them, “You [i]offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance;
9and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.
10And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“As for me, I baptize you [j]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you [k]with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him.
14But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?”
15But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *allowed Him.
16After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and [l]he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and [m]settling on Him,
17and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is [n]My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
1 Or arrived; or appeared
1 Or proclaiming as a herald
2 Lit has come near
3 Or through
3 Or shouting
3 Or out, Prepare in the wilderness the way
4 Lit his garment
7 Later mss his baptism
7 Or brood
11 The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by
11 The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by
16 Or He
16 Lit coming upon Him
17 Or My Son, the Beloved