God sent a man, John the Baptist,

有一个人，是从神那里差来的，名叫约翰。

有一个人，是从上帝那里差来的，名叫约翰。

有一个人，是从神那里差来的，名叫约翰。

有一个人名叫约翰，是上帝差来的。

有一个人，名叫约翰，是神所差来的。

有一个人受神的差派而来，他名叫约翰。

有一個人，是從神那裏差來的，名叫約翰。

有一個人，是從上帝那裏差來的，名叫約翰。

有一個人，是從神那裏差來的，名叫約翰。

有一個人名叫約翰，是上帝差來的。

有一個人，名叫約翰，是神所差來的。

有一個人、是由上帝差遣來的；他名叫約翰。

有一個人受神的差派而來，他名叫約翰。

有上帝所遣者、曰約翰、

有上帝所遣者名約翰、

有天主所遣之人、名約翰、

天主遣使。名曰如望。

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

There was a man sent from God. His name was John.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

There was a man named John who was sent from God.

There was a man sent from God, whose name[ was] John.

A man came, sent from God, whose name was John.

There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

“ Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me,‘ The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

You yourselves know how plainly I told you,‘ I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’

Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized.

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,“ Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

“ What?” they exclaimed.“ There is no one in all your family by that name.”So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him.He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote,“ His name is John.”

But the angel said,“ Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,‘ Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’

“ And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

“ Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives.His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,“ Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,“ He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them.“ You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed.“ Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.Don’t just say to each other,‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.“ I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am— so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

“ Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves.“ If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John.

Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness.Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,“ He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth.And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’”When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said,“ You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other,‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”The crowds asked,“ What should we do?”John replied,“ If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked,“ Teacher, what should we do?”He replied,“ Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”“ What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied,“ Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah.John answered their questions by saying,“ I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am— so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never ending fire.”John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done.So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It beganjust as the prophet Isaiah had written:“ Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.John announced:“ Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am— so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”