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Preaching of John the Baptist
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
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just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “class="small-caps" >Behold, I class="small-caps" >am sending My messenger class="small-caps" >before You, class="small-caps" >Who will prepare Your way;
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class="small-caps" >The voice of one calling class="small-caps" >out in the wilderness, ‘class="small-caps" >Prepare the way of the Lord, class="small-caps" >Make His paths straight!’”
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John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
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And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
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John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
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And he was preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals.
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I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
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The Baptism of Jesus
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
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And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him;
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and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
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And immediately the Spirit *brought Him out into the wilderness.
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And He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving Him.
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Jesus Preaches in Galilee
Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
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and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the gospel.”
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As He was going along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
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And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will have you become fishers of people.”
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And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
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Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and went away to follow Him.
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They *went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach.
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Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
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saying, “What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God!”
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And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
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After throwing him into convulsions and crying out with a loud voice, the unclean spirit came out of him.
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And they were all amazed, so they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
