Matthew 3:1-12

Legacy Standard Bible

The Preaching of John the Baptist

3 Now ^(A)in those days ^[a](B)John the Baptist *^[b]came, ^[c]preaching in the ^(C)wilderness of Judea, saying, ² “^(D)Repent, for ^(E)the kingdom of heaven ^[d]is at hand.” ³ For this is the ^(F)one referred to ^[e]by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

⁴ Now John himself had ^[h](I)a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was ^(J)locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem ^(K)was going out to him, and all Judea, and all ^(L)the district around the Jordan; ⁶ and they were being ^(M)baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the ^(N)Pharisees and ^(O)Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You ^(P)brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from ^(Q)the wrath to come? ^8 (R)Therefore bear fruit ^(S)in keeping with repentance; ⁹ and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘^(T)We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰ And the ^(U)axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore ^(V)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “As for me, ^(W)I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; ^(X)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His ^(Y)winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will ^(Z)gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the ^(AA)chaff with ^(AB)unquenchable fire.”