December 9 - Matthew 3.1-12

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The Preaching of John the Baptist
(Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.1-18; John 1.19-28)

Matthew 3 Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. 2He said, "Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here."
3John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said,
"In the desert someone is shouting,
'Get the road ready for the Lord!
Make a straight path for him.' "
4John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.
5From Jerusalem and all Judea and from the Jordan River Valley crowds of people went to John. 6They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the river.
7Many Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. But John said to them:
You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? 8Do something to show that you have really given up your sins. 9And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. 10An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire.
11I baptize you with water so that you will give up your sins. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in a barn and burn the husks in a fire that never goes out.

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This reading is from The Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version, copyright © American Bible Society, 1995.


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