1. Long ago, during the reign of Augustus Caesar in Rome, and Herod Agrippa in Israel, there was a servant of God named John who preached in the wilderness saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
2. John wore only animal skins for clothing and ate only locusts and wild honey for food. He would baptize people in the Jordan river as a sign of their repentance from sin.
3. But when he saw the religious leaders coming to be baptized, he shouted at them saying, "You brood of lying evildoers! Who told you to flee from the coming wrath of God?
4. "Make straight your way to God, and repent from your sins! I baptize you with water, but one is coming whose shoes I am not worthy to carry.
5. "He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Indeed, His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will gather His wheat into the granary, but the chaff He will burn in an unquenchable fire.
6. "Do not say to yourself, 'I am a child of Abraham'--as if that can save you--for God could make a child of Abraham from one of these stones if He wanted to."
7. And so with many exhortations, John the Baptist encouraged the people to live according to his teachings.
8. But one day, as he was baptizing, he saw Jesus in the crowd of people, and Jesus came to him.
9. John pointed at Jesus and shouted, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!"
10. And John was in awe of Jesus and said to two of his disciples, "He was there all the time, and yet I did not see Him. He was all around me and existed before me, and yet I did not know Him.
11. "I baptize with plain water, but it is not enough. He has come into the world and all judgment is with Him. Indeed, His ax is at the root, and all the trees that do not bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
12. Then Jesus came to John to be baptized, but John stopped Him saying: "I must be baptized by You, and yet You have come to me?"
13. But Jesus said to him: "Let it be this way; for it is fitting that we should fulfill all righteousness."
14. And John said, "For this purpose I came into the world, baptizing with water."
15. Then John baptized Jesus, and as Jesus rose from the water, John saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending upon Him, and a voice from heaven said, "You are My Son in whom I am well pleased."
16. Immediately after this, Jesus left and went into the wilderness, and John watched Him leave and said to his disciples, "This is the one who is greater than I. He must increase, and I must decrease."
17. Soon after this, Herod was bothered in his conscience by the things John was saying about his many evil deeds, so he added this one to them: He cast John into prison.
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