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People's hopes began to rise, and they began to wonder whether John perhaps might be the Messiah.
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So John said to all of them, "I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
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He has his winnowing shovel with him, to thresh out all the grain and gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out."
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In many different ways John preached the Good News to the people and urged them to change their ways.
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But John reprimanded Governor Herod, because he had married Herodias, his brother's wife, and had done many other evil things.
1
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Then Herod did an even worse thing by putting John in prison.
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After all the people had been baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While he was praying, heaven was opened,
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and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you."
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When Jesus began his work, he was about thirty years old. He was the son, so people thought, of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,
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the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
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the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,