Wednesday, January 5

1Be glad, you thirsty desert, and rejoice exceedingly, and let the desert blossom as a lily.

2The desert places of the Jordan shall blossom abundantly and rejoice exceedingly. The glory of Lebanon and the honor of Carmel shall be given to it, and My people shall see the glory of the Lord and the majesty of our God.

3Be strong, you relaxed hands and feeble knees.

4Be comforted, you fainthearted. Be strong, do not fear. Behold, our God renders judgment and will render it. He will come and save us.

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear.

6Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will speak clearly. For water shall burst forth in the desert, and a valley in the thirsty land.

7The waterless desert shall become meadows, and the thirsty land springs of water. There will be the gladness of birds, a habitation of reeds and marshes.

8A pure way shall be there, and it shall be called a holy way. No unclean man shall pass through there, neither shall there be an unclean way there. But those dispersed shall walk in it, and they shall not go astray.

9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous animals go up on it, nor at all be found there. But the redeemed shall walk in it,

10and those gathered by the Lord shall return and come to Zion with gladness, and with everlasting gladness over their head. For praise and exceeding joy will be on their head, and gladness shall possess them. Pain, sorrow, and sighing fled away.

25And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.'

26'Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.

27For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

28And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.

29Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

30But God raised Him from the dead.

31He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.

32And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers.

33God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'

1In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

2and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'

3For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.' '

4Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him

6and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

9and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

10And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11I 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. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

16Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evils from your souls before My eyes. Cease from your evils.

17Learn to do good. Seek judgment and redeem the wronged. Defend the orphan and justify the widow.

18Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'although your sins are like crimson, I shall make them white like snow, and although they are as scarlet, I shall make them white like wool.

19If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land.

20But if you are unwilling and disobedient, you shall be devoured by the sword,' for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

1And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

2he said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?'

3So they said to him, 'We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.' And he said to them, 'Into what then were you baptized?'

4So they said, 'Into John's baptism.' 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.'

5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

7Now the men were about twelve in all.

8And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2As it is written in the Prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

3'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' '

4John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5Then 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.

6Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

7And he preached, saying, 'There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.

8I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'

3You will draw water with gladness from the wells of salvation.

4In that day, you will say, 'Praise the Lord; call upon His name. Declare His glorious things among the Gentiles and make mention that His name is exalted.

5Sing to the name of the Lord, for He has done great things. Declare this in all the earth.

6Exult and be glad, O inhabitants of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in her midst.'

3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

4Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

7For he who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

9It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

11Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'

12Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

13And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

14Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'

8Thus says the Lord: 'In an acceptable time I heard You, and in the day of salvation I helped You. I give You as a covenant to the Gentiles, to establish the earth and to inherit the inheritance of the desert;

9saying to those in bonds, 'Go forth,' and to those in darkness, 'Reveal yourselves.' They shall feed along all their roads, and their pasture shall be along all the paths.

10They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst, nor shall the burning heat of the sun strike them; but He who has mercy on them will comfort them; and He shall lead them by the fountains of waters.

11I will make every mountains as a road, and every path as a pasture for them.

12Behold, these come from afar, these from the north and these from the sea, and the others from the land of the Persians.'

13Be glad, O heavens, and rejoice exceedingly, O earth. Let the mountains break out in gladness, and the hills in righteousness. For the Lord had mercy on His people, and comforted the humble of His people.

14But Zion said, 'The Lord forsook me, and the Lord forgot me.'

15'Will a woman forget her child, so as not to have mercy on the offspring of her womb? But even if a woman should forget these things, nevertheless, I shall not forget you,' says the Lord.

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,

12teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

13looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

14who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

15Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

1Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,

2to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.

3For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,

5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

6whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

14And John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?'

15But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him.

16When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

17And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'

1In the beginning God made heaven and earth.

2The earth was invisible and unfinished; and the darkness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.

3Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light.

4God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

5God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.

6Then God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water'; and it was so.

7Thus God made the firmament, and God divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament.

8So God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good; and there was evening and morning, the second day.

9Then God said, 'Let the water under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. The water under heaven was gathered into its places, and the dry land appeared.

10So God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. Let the fruit tree bear fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth.' It was so.

12Thus the earth brought forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. The fruit tree bore fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth. God saw that it was good.

13So evening and morning were the third day.

15Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

16Now lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it; and let the children of Israel go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17I indeed will harden Pharaoh's heart and all the Egyptians, and they will go in after them. So I will be glorified in Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horses.

18Then the Egyptians will know I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horses.'

19Now the Angel of God who went before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud also went from before them and stood behind them.

20So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the night passed; but there was such darkness and blackness, they did not come near one another all that night.

21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord carried back the sea by a strong south wind all that night and made the sea dry ground. Thus the waters were divided.

22So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

23Then the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen.

24Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud; and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.

25He bound the axles of their chariot wheels and caused them to proceed with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.'

26Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea so the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots and the riders.'

27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were trying to flee. But the Lord shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all of Pharaoh's army that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.

29But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. The waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

22Thus Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the desert and found no water to drink.

23Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore he named that place Bitterness.

24Then the people complained against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'

25So he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. There He proved him

26and said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is pleasing in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His ordinances, I will put none of the diseases on you that I brought on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord your God who heals you.'

27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.

1Now they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.

7Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I shall begin to exalt you in the sight of all the children of Israel, so they will know that I shall be with you as I was with Moses.

8Therefore now, command the priests who carry the ark of the covenant, saying, 'As soon as you enter a part of the water of the Jordan, then you shall stand in the Jordan.' '

9Joshua then said to the children of Israel, 'Come here and hear the word of the Lord our God.

10Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you and will utterly destroy before our face the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

11Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing the Jordan.

12Choose for yourselves twelve men from the sons of Israel, one from each tribe.

13Then it shall come to pass that when the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth rest in the water of the Jordan, the water of the Jordan will cease to flow, for the upstream water will stand still.'

14So the people left their tents to cross over the Jordan, and the priests carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord before the people.

15Now when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord dipped in part of the water of the Jordan (now the Jordan overflowed all its banks about the time of wheat harvest),

16then the upstream waters stopped flowing downstream, and a solid wall of water formed over a very great distance, as far as the region of Adam. The lower part came down to the Sea of Araba, the Salt Sea, until it came to a complete stop; and the people stood opposite Jericho.

17So the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all the children of Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the people crossed the Jordan.

6Then Elijah said to him, 'Stay here, please, for the Lord sent me on to the Jordan.' But Elisha said, 'As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!' So both of them went on.

7Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.

8Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water. The water divided this way and that, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.

9So it was that during the time they crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I may do for you, before I am taken away from you.' Elisha said, 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.'

10So Elijah said, 'You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken up from you, it shall be so for you; and if not, it shall not be so.'

11Thus it came to be, as they walked and continued to talk, behold a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and the fire separated them one from the other; and Elijah was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind.

12Then Elisha saw it and cried aloud, 'Father, O father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!' He saw Elijah no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.

13Then he raised Elijah's mantle, which fell from Elijah and upon Elisha, and Elisha returned and stood on the bank of the River Jordan.

14He took Elijah's mantle which had fallen upon him and struck the water, but it did not divide. Then he said, 'Where is the Lord God of Elijah himself?' And he struck the water again, and it divided this way and that. So Elisha crossed over.

9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot and stood at the door of Elisha's house.

10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, 'Go and bathe in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.'

11But Naaman became furious and went away, saying, 'Indeed, I told myself that Elisha would come out to greet me; that he would stand and call on the name of his God; and that he would put his hand upon the place and heal the leprosy.

12Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Can I not bathe in them and be clean?' So he turned and went away in a rage.

13Then his servants approached and said to him, 'If the prophet were to tell you to do something great, would you not complete it? But here the prophet said to you, 'Bathe and be clean.' '

14So Naaman went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to Elisha's instruction, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.

16Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evils from your souls before My eyes. Cease from your evils.

17Learn to do good. Seek judgment and redeem the wronged. Defend the orphan and justify the widow.

18Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'although your sins are like crimson, I shall make them white like snow, and although they are as scarlet, I shall make them white like wool.

19If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land.

20But if you are unwilling and disobedient, you shall be devoured by the sword,' for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

1So early in the morning, Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

2So Jacob went on his way, and saw the hosts of God encamped.

3When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is God's encampment'; and he called the name of that place Encampments.

4Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

5And he commanded them, saying, 'Speak thus to my lord Esau, 'Thus your servant Jacob says, 'I sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in your sight.' ' '

6Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, 'We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him.'

7So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people with him and the oxen and sheep into two companies.

8Thus Jacob said, 'If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the other company will escape.'

9Again Jacob said, 'O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, 'Return to the land of your nativity, and I will deal well with you,'

10let me be satisfied with all the righteousness and all the truth You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.

5Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked along the riverside; and seeing the ark among the reeds, she sent a maid to get it.

6So when she opened the ark, she saw the child crying, and the daughter of Pharaoh had compassion on him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrews' children.'

7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, 'Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?'

8So Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Go.' Then the maiden went and called the child's mother.

9Pharaoh's daughter then said to her, 'Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.' So the woman took the child and nursed him.

10Now when the boy was grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she called his name Moses, saying, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'

36So Gideon said to God, 'If You save Israel by my hand as You said,

37then look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You said.'

38And it was so. And he rose early the next morning and wrung the fleece and from the fleece dropped enough dew to fill a pan full of water.

39Then Gideon said to God, 'Indeed, I pray, do not let Your anger be aroused at me, and I will speak but once; I will yet make one more trial with the fleece. This time, let it be dry on the fleece, but let there be dew all over the ground.'

40And that night God made it so; on the fleece it was completely dry, but there was dew all over the ground.

30Then he said, 'Bring me four pots of water, and pour it on the whole burnt offering and pour it on the unlit firewood.' They did so. Again Elijah said, 'Do it a second time.' So they did it again. Again he said, 'Do it a third time.' So they did it a third time.

31And the water ran all about the altar, and even the furrow became filled with water.

32After this, Elijah cried out to heaven and said, 'O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, answer me, O Lord, answer me this day with fire, and let this people know You are the God of Israel, and I am Your servant; and for Your sake I do all these works.

33Hear me, O Lord, hear me with fire, and let these people know You are the Lord God, so as turn the heart of this people back.'

34Then fire fell from the Lord out of the heaven and consumed the whole burnt offering, the firewood, and the water in the furrow. The fire also licked up the stones and the soil.

35So all the people fell on their faces, and they said, 'Truly, the Lord is God; He is God.'

36Elijah then said to the people, 'Seize the prophets of Baal. Let not one of them escape.' So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon, where he slaughtered them.

37After this, Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up and eat and drink, for there is a sound of rain.'

38So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, where he bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees.

39He said to his servant, 'Go up and look toward the sea.' So the servant went up, and looked and said, 'There is nothing.' Then Elijah said, 'Go again seven times, and return to me seven times.'

19Then the men of the city said to Elisha, 'Behold, as my lord can see, this city is a pleasant place to live, but the water is bad, and the ground is barren.'

20So Elisha said, 'Bring me a new water pitcher and put salt in it.' So they brought it to him.

21Then he went out to the spring of the waters and cast salt into it, and said, 'Thus says the Lord: 'I have healed these waters; from them there shall no longer be death or barrenness.' '

22So the water was healed by the word Elisha spoke, and so it remains today.

8Thus says the Lord: 'In an acceptable time I heard You, and in the day of salvation I helped You. I give You as a covenant to the Gentiles, to establish the earth and to inherit the inheritance of the desert;

9saying to those in bonds, 'Go forth,' and to those in darkness, 'Reveal yourselves.' They shall feed along all their roads, and their pasture shall be along all the paths.

10They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst, nor shall the burning heat of the sun strike them; but He who has mercy on them will comfort them; and He shall lead them by the fountains of waters.

11I will make every mountains as a road, and every path as a pasture for them.

12Behold, these come from afar, these from the north and these from the sea, and the others from the land of the Persians.'

13Be glad, O heavens, and rejoice exceedingly, O earth. Let the mountains break out in gladness, and the hills in righteousness. For the Lord had mercy on His people, and comforted the humble of His people.

14But Zion said, 'The Lord forsook me, and the Lord forgot me.'

15'Will a woman forget her child, so as not to have mercy on the offspring of her womb? But even if a woman should forget these things, nevertheless, I shall not forget you,' says the Lord.

19For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more;

20and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;

21to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;

22to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

23Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

25And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

26Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

27But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

2while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

3And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

4as 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.

5Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth;

6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' '

7Then 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?

8Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

9And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'

10So the people asked him, saying, 'What shall we do then?'

11He answered and said to them, 'He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.'

12Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, 'Teacher, what shall we do?'

13And he said to them, 'Collect no more than what is appointed for you.'

14Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, 'And what shall we do?'

15So he said to them, 'Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.' Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,

16John 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.

17His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.'

18And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.

1Be glad, you thirsty desert, and rejoice exceedingly, and let the desert blossom as a lily.

2The desert places of the Jordan shall blossom abundantly and rejoice exceedingly. The glory of Lebanon and the honor of Carmel shall be given to it, and My people shall see the glory of the Lord and the majesty of our God.

3Be strong, you relaxed hands and feeble knees.

4Be comforted, you fainthearted. Be strong, do not fear. Behold, our God renders judgment and will render it. He will come and save us.

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear.

6Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will speak clearly. For water shall burst forth in the desert, and a valley in the thirsty land.

7The waterless desert shall become meadows, and the thirsty land springs of water. There will be the gladness of birds, a habitation of reeds and marshes.

8A pure way shall be there, and it shall be called a holy way. No unclean man shall pass through there, neither shall there be an unclean way there. But those dispersed shall walk in it, and they shall not go astray.

9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous animals go up on it, nor at all be found there. But the redeemed shall walk in it,

10and those gathered by the Lord shall return and come to Zion with gladness, and with everlasting gladness over their head. For praise and exceeding joy will be on their head, and gladness shall possess them. Pain, sorrow, and sighing fled away.

1You who are thirsty, go to the water, and all who have no money, go and buy wine and fat, and eat and drink without money and price.

2Why do you value at the price of money, and give your toil for what does not satisfy? Listen to Me and eat good things, and your soul will delight in good things.

3Incline your ears and follow my ways. Listen to Me, and your soul shall live in good things; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the holy and faithful things of David.

4Behold, I made him a witness among the Gentiles, a ruler and commander to the Gentiles.

5The Gentiles, which did not know you, shall call upon you, and the peoples who did not understand you shall take refuge in you, because of your God, the Holy One of Israel; for He glorified you.'

6Seek God, and when you find Him, call upon Him when He draws near to you.

7Let the ungodly man abandon his ways, and the lawless man his counsels; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; for He shall forgive your sins abundantly.

8'For My counsels are not as your counsels, neither are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.

9'But as heaven is distant from earth, so is My way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from My mind.

10For as rain comes down, or snow from heaven, and does not return until it saturates the earth, and it brings forth and produces, and gives seed to the sower and bread for food,

11so shall My word be, whatever proceeds from My mouth. It shall not return until it accomplishes whatever I willed, and I shall prosper your ways and My commandments.

12For you shall go forth with gladness and shall be taught with joy, for the mountains and hills shall exult to receive you with joy; and all the trees of the field shall applaud with their branches.

13Instead of the broom-tree shall come up the cypress, and instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle; and the Lord shall be for a name and for an everlasting sign, and He shall not fail.'

3You will draw water with gladness from the wells of salvation.

4In that day, you will say, 'Praise the Lord; call upon His name. Declare His glorious things among the Gentiles and make mention that His name is exalted.

5Sing to the name of the Lord, for He has done great things. Declare this in all the earth.

6Exult and be glad, O inhabitants of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in her midst.'

1Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

2all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

3all ate the same spiritual food,

4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

9It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

11Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'