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.

2 The prophet Isayah wrote:[ref]

“See, I am sending my messenger to you,

the one who will be preparing your path.

3 [ref]The voice out in the wilderness shouting,

‘Get the path ready for the master;

Make it smooth for him to travel on.’ ”

4 Yohan turned up in the wilderness announcing that people should get immersed in water in order to show that their sins have been forgiven. 5 And many from the Yudean region and from the city of Yerushalem went out to hear him, and they confessed their sins and asked Yohan to immerse them in the Yordan river.

6 [ref]Yohan was dressed in simple clothes made from camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. 7 And he also announced, “There’s a greater man coming soon—in fact I’m not even good enough to bend down and untie his sandals. 8 I immersed you in water, but he will immerse you all in God’s holy spirit.”

3 It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Yudea and Herod was the ruler of the Galilean quarter. His brother Philip was the ruler of the Iturean quarter and of the region of Traconitis, and Lysanias was the ruler of the Abilene quarter. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests in Yerushalem, and this was the time when Yohan (son of Zechariah) began preaching God’s message in the wilderness. 3 He went around all the areas surrounding the Yordan River, telling the people that they could get immersed in water as a sign they were turning away from disobeying God and requesting forgiveness 4 [ref]just like the prophet Isayah had written:

‘The voice shouting in the wilderness

prepare Yahweh’s road,

make his paths straight.

5 Every valley will be filled up,

and every mountain and hill will be levelled off.

What’s crooked will be made straight,

and the rough roads will be made smooth.

6 and everybody will see God’s salvation.’

7 [ref]Because of that, he was telling the crowds that went out there to be immersed by him, “Bunch of snakes! Who warned you all to flee from the severe anger that’s coming? 8 [ref]So then start demonstrating the qualities that show you have actually turned from your disobedience. And don’t start by telling me that you’re descendants of Abraham, because I can tell you all that God could make descendants out of these stones here. 9 [ref]The axe is already sitting at the base of the trees, so that every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then,” the crowds asked him.

11 “If you’ve got two jackets, give one to someone who doesn’t have one,” he replied, “and similarly if you’ve got food.”

12 [ref]Even some tax-collectors came to be immersed, and they asked Yohan, “Teacher, what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any extra on top of what you’ve been told to collect,” he said.

14 “And what about us too,” some soldiers inquired.

“Don’t bully people or falsely accuse anyone,” Yohan answered, “and be content with your wages.”

15 The people were expecting that the messiah might come to save them and started wondering in their minds if maybe it was Yohan 16 but he explained to them all, “I’ve been immersing you all in water, but there’s one coming who’s greater than me, in fact I’m not even worthy to unlace his sandals. He will immerse you all with the holy spirit and with fire. 17 He’ll hold the winnowing fork so he can clear out the threshing floor, gathering the wheat into his barn and burning up the chaff with a fire that never goes out.”

18 Yohan preached the good message to the people and also encouraged them to change for the better.

19 Yohan explained some of this when the Jewish leaders sent out priests and temple workers from Yerushalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 He didn’t flinch from the truth and so he told them, “I am not the chosen messiah.”

21 [ref]So they asked him again, “Are you Eliyah come back to life?”

And he answered, “No, I’m not.”

They asked, “Are you the prophet?”

Again he answered, “No, I’m not.”

22 So they asked him, “Who are you then? We need to give an answer to the ones who sent us. How do you describe yourself?”

23 [ref]So he said, “I am a voice shouting[fn] in the wilderness smooth the path of the master, as the prophet Isayah said.”

24 Some of the ones sent out were members of the Pharisee party. 25 These ones asked Yohan, “So why are you immersing people then if you aren’t the messiah or Eliyah or the prophet?”

26 He answered, “I’m immersing people in water, but somewhere here among us all there’s someone you don’t know— 27 the one coming after me, and I’m not even good enough to untie his sandal straps!”

28 All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the Yordan River where Yohan was immersing people.