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. 3:1 For ver. 1-12, see Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:2-17
• 2. 3:1 John 1:6, 7
• 3. 3:1 Josh. 15:61; [Judg. 1:16]
• 4. 3:2 ch. 4:17; Mark 1:15
• 5. 3:2 ch. 10:7; Dan. 2:44; [ch. 6:10]
• 6. 3:3 John 1:23; Cited from Isa. 40:3
• 7. 3:3 Luke 1:76
• 8. 3:4 2 Kgs. 1:8; Zech. 13:4; [Heb. 11:37]
• 9. 3:4 Lev. 11:22
• 10. 3:4 1 Sam. 14:26
• 11. 3:6 Acts 19:18

Footnotes

• [a] 3:3 Or 'crying: Prepare in the wilderness'