Matthew 3:7-4:11

New King James Version

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ^(A)“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(B)the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ^(C)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. ^(D)Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ^11 (E)I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. ^(F)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit ^[a]and fire. ^12 (G)His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will ^(H)burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(I)

^13 (J)Then Jesus came ^(K)from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

^16 (L)When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and ^[b]He saw ^(M)the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. ^17 (N)And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ^(O)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(P)

4 Then ^(Q)Jesus was led up by ^(R)the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ^(S)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵ Then the devil took Him up ^(T)into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

and,

⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ^(W)‘You shall not ^[c]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and ^(X)showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, ^[d]“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ^(Y)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

¹¹ Then the devil ^(Z)left Him, and behold, ^(AA)angels came and ministered to Him.