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3:1-12 There
came a time when John the Baptist arrived proclaiming in the wilderness
of Judea. He was saying “Repent, for the Kingdom
of heaven is near.” He was the one
spoken of through Isaiah the prophet who said "There is a voice of one
crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.” Now John had
dressed himself in camel hair with a leather girdle around his waist. His food consisted of locusts and wild
honey. All of Jerusalem
went out to him and all of Judea and everyone around the neighbourhood of
the Jordan. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river confessing their sins. Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
were coming to the baptism. On
seeing them he said to them “Offspring of vipers,
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who
warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce fruit worthy of repentance and do not think to say amongst
yourselves that we have Abraham as our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these very
stones. Already the axe is at the
root of the trees. Therefore every
tree which is not producing good fruit is to be cut down and cast into
the fire. I indeed baptize you in
water to repentance. But the one
coming after me is stronger than me.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit
and fire. The fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly clean his
threshing-floor. He will gather
his wheat into the barn. But the
chaff, he will consume with unquenchable fire."
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