¹ Now in those days comes John the baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

² and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.

³ For this is he who has been spoken of through Esaias the prophet, saying, Voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of [the] Lord, make straight his paths.

⁴ And John himself had his garment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and wild honey.

⁵ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the country round the Jordan,

⁶ and were baptised by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷ But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Offspring of vipers, who has forewarned you to flee from the coming wrath?

⁸ Produce therefore fruit worthy of repentance.

⁹ And do not think to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for [our] father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

¹⁰ And already the axe is applied to the root of the trees; every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

¹¹ *I* indeed baptise you with water to repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not fit to bear; *he* shall baptise you with [the] Holy Spirit and fire;

¹² whose winnowing fan [is] in his hand, and he shall thoroughly purge his threshing-floor, and shall gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

¹³ Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptised of him;

¹⁴ but John urgently forbad him, saying, *I* have need to be baptised of thee; and comest *thou* to me?

¹⁵ But Jesus answering said to him, Suffer [it] now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffers him.

¹⁶ And Jesus, having been baptised, went up straightway from the water, and lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him:

¹⁷ and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight.

¹ The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from before the evil.

² He entereth into peace: they rest in their beds, [each one] that hath walked in his uprightness.

³ But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.

⁴ Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom do ye make a wide mouth, [and] draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

⁵ inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?

⁶ Among the smooth [stones] of the torrent is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured out a drink-offering, thou hast offered an oblation. Shall I be comforted myself as to these things?

⁷ Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither didst thou go up to offer sacrifice.

⁸ Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for apart from me, thou hast uncovered thyself, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and hast made agreement with them; thou lovedst their bed, thou sawest their nakedness.

⁹ And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst multiply thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers afar off, and didst debase thyself unto Sheol.

¹⁰ Thou wast wearied by the multitude of thy ways; [but] thou saidst not, It is of no avail. Thou didst find a quickening of thy strength; therefore thou wast not sick [of it].

¹¹ And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor taken it to heart? Have not I even of long time held my peace, and thou fearest me not?

¹² I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; and they shall not profit thee.

¹³ When thou criest, let them that are gathered by thee deliver thee! But a wind shall carry them all away, a breath shall take them; but he that putteth his trust in me shall inherit the land, and possess my holy mountain.

¹⁴ And it shall be said, Cast up, cast up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling-blocks out of the way of my people.

¹⁵ For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, and whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy [place], and with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

¹⁶ For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made.

¹⁷ For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on backslidingly in the way of his heart.

¹⁸ I have seen his ways, and will heal him; and I will lead him, and will restore comforts unto him and to those of his that mourn.

¹⁹ I create the fruit of the lips: peace, peace to him [that is] afar off, and to him [that is] nigh, saith Jehovah; and I will heal him.

²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, and whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

²¹ There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.