Matthew 3:1-6

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 ¹In those days ²John the Baptist came preaching in ³the wilderness of Judea,

2 ⁴"Repent, for ⁵the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ⁶"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ⁷'Prepare^[a] the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"

4 Now John wore ⁸a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was ⁹locusts and ¹⁰wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,

6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, ¹¹confessing their sins.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 1-12, see Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:2-17
• 2. John 1:6, 7
• 3. Joshua 15:61; [Judges 1:16]
• 4. Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15
• 5. Matthew 10:7; Daniel 2:44; [Matthew 6:10]
• 6. John 1:23; Cited from Isaiah 40:3
• 7. Luke 1:76
• 8. 2 Kings 1:8; Zechariah 13:4; [Hebrews 11:37]
• 9. Leviticus 11:22
• 10. 1 Samuel 14:26
• 11. Acts 19:18

Footnotes

• [a]. Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness