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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Matthew 3 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/matthew/3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/matthew/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > Matthew 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../matthew/2.htm" title="Matthew 2">◄</a> Matthew 3 <a href="../matthew/4.htm" title="Matthew 4">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/matthew/3.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">John the Baptist Prepares the Way</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or the kingdom of heaven has come near">a</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,</p><span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="ln-group">“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:</span><br /><span class="ln-group">‘Prepare<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness">b</a></sup></span> the way of the Lord;</span><br /><span class="indent">make his paths straight.’”</span></p> <p class="same-paragraph"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”</p> <p class="heading">The Baptism of Jesus</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>But Jesus answered him, <span class="woc">“Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”</span> Then he consented. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Some manuscripts omit to him">c</a></sup></span> and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/3-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved">d</a></sup></span> with whom I am well pleased.”</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">2</span> Or <i>the kingdom of heaven has come near</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">3</span> Or <i><span class="catch-word">crying</span>: Prepare in the wilderness</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> Some manuscripts omit <i class="catch-word">to him</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">17</span> Or <i><span class="catch-word">my</span> Son, my</i> (or <i>the</i>) <i>Beloved</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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