¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,^w^* ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with^x the Holy Spirit and fire.^* ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”^*

¹⁸So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the good news to the people. ¹⁹But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done,^* ²⁰added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,^* ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;^y with you I am well pleased.”^z^*

Read in Logos

Footnotes

wOr the Christ
xOr in
yOr my beloved Son
zOther ancient authorities read You are my Son, today I have begotten you

Cross references

*Acts 13:25
*Acts 1:5
*Isa 30:24; Mic 4:12; Mt 13:30
*Mt 14:3, 4; Mk 6:17, 18
*Lk 5:15; 6:12
*Ps 2:7; Isa 42:1; Acts 10:38; 2 Pet 1:17