Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-20

1 In those days John Baptist came, and preached in the desert of Judaea, [In those days came John Baptist, preaching in the desert of Judaea,]

2 and said, Do ye penance, for the kingdom of heavens shall approach. [+saying, Do ye penance, for the kingdom of heaven shall nigh.]

3 For this is he, of whom it is said by Esaias, the prophet, saying, A voice of a crier in desert, Make ye ready the ways of the Lord; make ye right the paths of him. [+Forsooth this is he, of whom it is said by Esaias, saying, A voice of a man crying in desert, Make ye ready the way of the Lord; make ye rightful the paths of him.]

4 And this John [Forsooth that same John] had clothing of camel's hairs, and a girdle of skin about his loins; and his meat was honeysuckles [soothly his meat was locusts], and honey of the wood.

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

6 and they were washed of him in Jordan [and were christened of him in Jordan], acknowledging their sins.

7 But he saw many of the Pharisees and of Sadducees coming to his baptism, and said to them, Generation of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath that is to come? [Soothly he seeing many of Pharisees and of Sadducees coming to his baptism, said to them, Generations of adders, who showed to you to flee from wrath to come?]

8 Therefore do ye worthy fruits of penance,

9 and do not ye say within you, We have Abraham to our father; for I say to you, that God is mighty to raise up of these stones the sons of Abraham.

10 And now the ax is put to the root of the tree; therefore every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire.

11 I wash you in water [Soothly I christen you in water], into penance; but he that shall come after me is stronger than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you [he shall baptize, or christen, you] in the Holy Ghost and [in] fire.

12 Whose winnowing cloth is in his hand, and he shall fully cleanse his corn floor, and shall gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he shall burn with fire that may not be quenched. [+Whose winnowing cloth, or fan, in his hand, and he shall fully cleanse his floor, and shall gather his wheat into his barn; but chaffs he shall burn with fire unquenchable, or that never shall be quenched.]

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Esaias, the prophet, Lo! I send mine angel before thy face, that shall make thy way ready before thee.

3 The voice of a crier in desert, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right. [The voice of one crying in desert, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths rightful.]

4 John was in desert baptizing, and preaching the baptism of penance, into remission of sins.

5 And all the country of Judaea went out to him, and all men of Jerusalem; and they were baptized of him in the flume Jordan [and were baptized of him in the flood of Jordan], acknowledging their sins.

6 And John was clothed with hairs of camels, and a girdle of skin was about his loins; and he ate honeysuckles, and wild honey, [+And John was clothed with hairs of camel, and a girdle of skin about his loins; and he ate locusts, and wild honey,]

7 and preached, and said [saying], A stronger than I shall come after me, and I am not worthy to kneel down, and unloose [the thong of] his shoes.

8 I have baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost.

1 In the fifteen year of the empire of Tiberius, the emperor, when Pilate of Pontii governed Judaea, and Herod was prince of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, was prince of Ituraea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was prince of Abilene,

2 under the princes of priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was made on [upon] John, the son of Zacharias, in desert.

3 And he came into all the country of Jordan, and preached [preaching] baptism of penance into remission of sins.

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of one crying in desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right.

5 Each valley shall be full-filled, and every hill and little hill shall be made low; and depraved things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways; [Each valley shall be filled, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways;]

6 and every flesh [and each flesh] shall see the health of God.

7 Therefore he said to the people, which went out to be baptized of him, Kindlings of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath to coming? [+Therefore he said to the companies, that went out, that they should be baptized of him, Fruits, or kindlings, of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath to come?]

8 Therefore do ye worthy fruits of penance, and begin ye not to say, We have a father Abraham; for I say to you, that God is mighty to raise of these stones the sons of Abraham [soothly I say to you, God is mighty of these stones to raise the sons of Abraham].

9 And now an ax is set [is put] to the root of the tree; and therefore every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire [shall be cut down, and sent into the fire].

10 And the people asked him, and said [saying], What then shall we do?

11 He answered, and said to them [Soothly he answering said to them], He that hath two coats, give he to him that hath none; and he that hath meats, do in like manner.

12 And [the] publicans came to be baptized; and they said to him, Master, what shall we do?

13 And he said to them, Do ye nothing more, than that that is ordained to you.

14 And [the] knights asked him, and said, What shall also we do [Forsooth and the knights asked him, saying, What shall and we do]? And he said to them, Smite ye wrongfully no man, neither make ye false challenge, and be ye satisfied with your wages [and be satisfied with your wages].

15 When all the people guessed, and all men thought in their hearts of John, lest peradventure he were Christ,

16 John answered, and said [saying] to all men, [Soothly] I baptize you in water; but a stronger than I shall come after me, of whom I am not worthy to unbind the lace of his shoes [of whose I am not worthy to unbind the thong of his shoes]; he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.

17 Whose fan in his hand/Whose winnowing tool is in his hand, and he shall purge his floor of corn [and he shall purge his corn floor], and shall gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he shall burn with fire unquenchable.

18 And many other things also he spake, and preached to the people. [Forsooth and he stirring, or admonishing, many other things, evangelized to the people.]

19 But Herod [the] tetrarch, when he was blamed of John for Herodias, the wife of his brother, and for all the evils that Herod did,

20 he increased this over all, and shut John in prison. [+added this over all, and shut John in prison.]