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In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,
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“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ”
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The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD ’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”
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John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
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People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.
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And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
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But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath?
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Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
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Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.