3 That was the time when Yohan-the-immerser started preaching in the Yudean wilderness 2 telling everyone,[ref] “Turn from your sins because the kingdom of heavens is close. 3 This is the man that the prophet Isayah was talking about when he wrote:[ref]

‘The voice of one shouting in the wilderness

prepare the road for the master;

straighten his paths.’

4 [ref]Yohan himself wore clothes made from coarse camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Yerushalem and all Yudea and all of the regions surrounding the Yordan River went out into the wilderness to listen to Yohan 6 and many confessed their sins and asked him to immerse them in the river.

7 [ref]But when Yohan saw many from the party of the Pharisees and from the Sadducee sect coming for immersion, he told them, “You brood of snakes, who warned you all to flee from God’s severe anger that’s coming? 8 Turning from your sins should be accompanied by evidence that you’ve changed. 9 [ref]And don’t think that you can just tell yourselves that you’re descendants of Abraham, because I can tell you that God could turn these stones into descendants of Abraham. 10 [ref]The axe has already been placed at the base of the trees ready to cut down any tree that’s not producing good fruit and then it’ll be thrown into the fire. 11 I’m immersing people in water as a sign that they’re turning away from their sins, but there’s another one coming after me who’s greater than me—so much so that I’m not even worthy to carry his sandals. He’ll immerse you in the holy spirit and fire. 12 He’s already holding his fork so that he can clear his threshing floor—he’ll work through the pile throwing it into the air where the breeze will carry the chaff away and he’ll burn that with unquenchable fire, while the (heavier) grains of wheat will land in the pile to be brought into the barn.