John the Baptist Prepares the Way
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In those days a John the Baptist came preaching b in the wilderness of Judea,
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and saying, "Repent, for c the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
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For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
d "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
e ' Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.' "
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Now f John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was g locusts and h wild honey.
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i Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
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j and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, k "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from l the wrath to come?
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"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
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"and do not think to say to yourselves, m 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
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"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. n Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
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o "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. p He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
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q "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will r burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
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Cross References
Matthew 3:1 - 12
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.
Mark 1:3 - 8
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ' Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"
Luke 3:2 - 17
While Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
John 1:6 - 8
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
John 1:19 - 28
Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?
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Cross References
Joshua 14:10
And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.
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Cross References
Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these kings the God of heave...
Malachi 4:6
And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to t...
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say...
Mark 1:15
And saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kin...
Luke 1:17
"He will also go before Him in the spirit and p...
Luke 10:9
"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The...
Luke 11:20
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God...
Luke 21:31
So you also, when you see these things happenin...
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Cross References
Isaiah 40:3
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
Luke 3:4
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.
John 1:23
He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said.
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Cross References
Luke 1:76
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.
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Cross References
2 Kings 1:8
So they answered him, "A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite.
Zechariah 13:4
And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
Matthew 11:8
But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Mark 1:6
Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
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Cross References
Leviticus 11:22
These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 14:25
Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground.
1 Samuel 14:26
And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
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Cross References
Mark 1:5
Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
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Cross References
Acts 19:4
Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
Acts 19:18
And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
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Cross References
Matthew 12:34
Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Luke 3:7 - 9
Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
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Cross References
Romans 5:9
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
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Cross References
John 8:33
They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendant...
Acts 13:26
Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham...
Romans 4:1
What then shall we say that Abraham our father ...
Romans 4:11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a sea...
Romans 4:16
Therefore it is of faith that it might be accor...
Galatians 3:29
And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's...
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Cross References
Psalms 92:12 - 14
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Luke 13:7
"Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'
Luke 13:9
'And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"
John 15:6
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
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Cross References
Mark 1:4
John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Mark 1:8
"I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Luke 3:16
John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John 1:26
John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
Acts 1:5
"for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
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Cross References
Isaiah 4:4
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.
John 20:22
And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:3
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
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Cross References
Malachi 3:3
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
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Cross References
Malachi 4:1
For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
Matthew 13:30
'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." '"
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.