In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the Desert of Judea.

那时，有施洗的约翰出来，在犹太的旷野传道，说：

在那些日子，施洗的约翰出来，在犹太的旷野宣讲：

在那些日子，施洗的约翰出来，在犹太的旷野宣讲：

那时，施洗者约翰来到犹太的旷野传道，说：

那时，施洗的约翰出来，在犹太的旷野传道，

在那些日子里，施洗者约翰来了，在犹太的旷野传道，

那時，有施洗的約翰出來，在猶太的曠野傳道，說：

在那些日子，施洗的約翰出來，在猶太的曠野宣講：

在那些日子，施洗的約翰出來，在猶太的曠野宣講：

那時，施洗者約翰來到猶太的曠野傳道，說：

那時，施洗的約翰出來，在猶太的曠野傳道，

當那些日子、施洗者約翰出來，在猶太的野地宣傳

在那些日子裡，施洗者約翰來了，在猶太的曠野傳道，

維時、施洗約翰至、宣言於猶太野、

維時、施洗約翰至猶太野、言曰、

維時有施洗約翰來、在猶太曠野宣道曰、

維時、施洗者如望宣道於猶太曠野中曰：

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

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

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,

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

Now in those days John the Baptist* came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

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

And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, saying,

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

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

In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming,

In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

A messenger is calling out,“ In the desert prepare the way for the Lord. Make a straight road through it for our God.Every valley will be filled in. Every mountain and hill will be made level. The rough ground will be smoothed out. The rocky places will be made flat.Then the glory of the Lord will appear. And everyone will see it together. The Lord has spoken.”Another messenger says,“ Cry out.” And I said,“ What should I cry?”“ Cry out,‘ All people are like grass. They don’t stay faithful to me any longer than wildflowers last.

What I’m about to tell you is true. No one more important than John the Baptist has ever been born. But the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is more important than he is.

They replied,“ Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

But the angel said to him,“ Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must call him John.He will be a joy and delight to you. His birth will make many people very glad.He will be important in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or other such drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.And he will prepare the way for the Lord. He will have the same spirit and power that Elijah had. He will bring peace between parents and their children. He will teach people who don’t obey to be wise and do what is right. In this way, he will prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.”

There was a man sent from God. His name was John.He came to be a witness about that light. He was a witness so that all people might believe.John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light.

Before Jesus came, John preached that we should turn away from our sins and be baptized. He preached this to all Israel.John was coming to the end of his work.‘ Who do you suppose I am?’ he said.‘ I am not the one you are looking for. But there is someone coming after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.’

“ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him.

That time began when John was baptizing. It ended when Jesus was taken up from us. The one we choose must join us in telling people that Jesus rose from the dead.”

Tiberius Caesar had been ruling for 15 years. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. His brother Philip was the ruler of Iturea and Traconitis. Lysanias was ruler of Abilene.Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. At that time God’s word came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert.He went into all the countryside around the Jordan River. There he preached that people should be baptized and turn away from their sins. Then God would forgive them.Here is what is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet. It says,“ A messenger is calling out in the desert,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.Every valley will be filled in. Every mountain and hill will be made level. The crooked roads will become straight. The rough ways will become smooth.And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3–5)John spoke to the crowds coming to be baptized by him. He said,“ You are like a nest of poisonous snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming of God’s anger?Live in a way that shows you have turned away from your sins. And don’t start saying to yourselves,‘ Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones.The ax is already lying at the roots of the trees. All the trees that don’t produce good fruit will be cut down. They will be thrown into the fire.”“ Then what should we do?” the crowd asked.John answered,“ Anyone who has extra clothes should share with the one who has none. And anyone who has extra food should do the same.”Even tax collectors came to be baptized.“ Teacher,” they asked,“ what should we do?”“ Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” John told them.Then some soldiers asked him,“ And what should we do?” John replied,“ Don’t force people to give you money. Don’t bring false charges against people. Be happy with your pay.”The people were waiting. They were expecting something. They were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Messiah.John answered them all,“ I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I am will come. I’m not good enough to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His pitchfork is in his hand to toss the straw away from his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn. But he will burn up the husks with fire that can’t be put out.”John said many other things to warn the people. He also announced the good news to them.But John found fault with Herod, the ruler of Galilee, because of his marriage to Herodias. She was the wife of Herod’s brother. John also spoke strongly to Herod about all the other evil things he had done.So Herod locked John up in prison. Herod added this sin to all his others.

So John’s messengers left. Then Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. He said,“ What did you go out into the desert to see? Tall grass waving in the wind?

So Paul asked,“ Then what baptism did you receive?”“ John’s baptism,” they replied.Paul said,“ John baptized people, calling them to turn away from their sins. He told them to believe in the one who was coming after him. Jesus is that one.”

“ A messenger is calling out in the desert,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3)And so John the Baptist appeared in the desert. He preached that people should be baptized and turn away from their sins. Then God would forgive them.All the people from the countryside of Judea went out to him. All the people from Jerusalem went too. When they admitted they had sinned, John baptized them in the Jordan River.John wore clothes made out of camel’s hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey.Here is what John was preaching.“ After me, there is someone coming who is more powerful than I am. I’m not good enough to bend down and untie his sandals.I baptize you with water. But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Towns were also given to Judah in the desert. Here is a list of those towns. Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah,Nibshan, the City of Salt and En Gedi. The total number of towns was six. Some of them had villages near them.

Live in a way that shows you have turned away from your sins.

He said to his attendants,“ This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead! That is why he has the power to do miracles.”Herod had arrested John. He had tied him up and put him in prison because of Herodias. She was the wife of Herod’s brother Philip.John had been saying to Herod,“ It is against the Law for you to have her as your wife.”Herod wanted to kill John. But he was afraid of the people, because they thought John was a prophet.On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his guests. She pleased Herod very much.So he promised to give her anything she asked for.Her mother told her what to say. So the girl said to Herod,“ Give me the head of John the Baptist on a big plate.”The king was very upset. But he thought of his promise and his dinner guests. So he told one of his men to give her what she asked for.Herod had John’s head cut off in the prison.His head was brought in on a big plate and given to the girl. She then carried it to her mother.John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.Jesus heard what had happened to John. He wanted to be alone. So he went in a boat to a quiet place. The crowds heard about this. They followed him on foot from the towns.When Jesus came ashore, he saw a large crowd. He felt deep concern for them. He healed their sick people.

But when Herod heard this, he said,“ I had John’s head cut off. And now he has been raised from the dead!”In fact, it was Herod himself who had given orders to arrest John. He had him tied up and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias. She was the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. But now Herod was married to her.John had been saying to Herod,“ It is against the Law for you to be married to your brother’s wife.”Herodias couldn’t forgive John for saying that. She wanted to kill him. But she could not,because Herod was afraid of John. So he kept John safe. Herod knew John was a holy man who did what was right. When Herod heard him, he was very puzzled. But he liked to listen to John.Finally the right time came. Herod gave a banquet on his birthday. He invited his high officials and military leaders. He also invited the most important men in Galilee.Then the daughter of Herodias came in and danced. She pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl,“ Ask me for anything you want. I’ll give it to you.”And he gave her his promise. He said to her,“ Anything you ask for I will give you. I’ll give you up to half my kingdom.”She went out and said to her mother,“ What should I ask for?”“ The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.At once the girl hurried to ask the king. She said,“ I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a big plate right now.”The king was very upset. But he thought about his promise and his dinner guests. So he did not want to say no to the girl.He sent a man right away to bring John’s head. The man went to the prison and cut off John’s head.He brought it back on a big plate. He gave it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.John’s disciples heard about this. So they came and took his body. Then they placed it in a tomb.

John was a witness about the Word. John cried out and said,“ This was the one I was talking about. I said,‘ He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.’ ”God is full of grace. From him we have all received grace in place of the grace already given.In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father’s side. The one at the Father’s side has shown us what God is like.The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John spoke the truth to them.He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said,“ I am not the Messiah.”They asked him,“ Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said,“ I am not.”“ Are you the Prophet we’ve been expecting?” they asked.“ No,” he answered.They asked one last time,“ Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said,“ I’m the messenger who is calling out in the desert,‘ Make the way for the Lord straight.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3)The Pharisees who had been sentasked him,“ If you are not the Messiah, why are you baptizing people? Why are you doing that if you aren’t Elijah or the Prophet we’ve been expecting?”“ I baptize people with water,” John replied.“ But someone is standing among you whom you do not know.He is the one who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said,“ Look! The Lamb of God! He takes away the sin of the world!This is the one I was talking about. I said,‘ A man who comes after me is more important than I am. That’s because he existed before I was born.’I did not know him. But God wants to make it clear to Israel who this person is. That’s the reason I came baptizing with water.”Then John told them,“ I saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven like a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus.I myself did not know him. But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,‘ You will see the Spirit come down and remain on someone. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’I have seen it happen. I am a witness that this is God’s Chosen One.”The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.He saw Jesus walking by. John said,“ Look! The Lamb of God!”

But I tell you, Elijah has already come. People didn’t recognize him. They have done to him everything they wanted to do. In the same way, they are going to make the Son of Man suffer.”Then the disciples understood that Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist.

John replied,“ A person can receive only what God gives them from heaven.You yourselves are witnesses that I said,‘ I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him.’The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.He must become more important. I must become less important.“ The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything.He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says.Anyone who has accepted it has said,‘ Yes. God is truthful.’The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit.The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands.Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.”

Where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven? Or did it come from human authority?” They talked to one another about it. They said,“ If we say,‘ From heaven,’ he will ask,‘ Then why didn’t you believe him?’But what if we say,‘ From human authority’? We are afraid of the people. Everyone believes that John was a prophet.”So they answered Jesus,“ We don’t know.” Jesus said,“ Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.

“ The Lord has done just as he promised. He made the promise while Israel was wandering around in the desert. That was 45 years ago. He has kept me alive all this time. So here I am today, 85 years old!

Moses’ father- in- law was a Kenite. His family went up from Jericho. Jericho was also known as the City of Palm Trees. His family went up with the people of Judah to the Desert of Judah. They went there to live among its people. Those people were living in the Negev Desert near Arad.

John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. You saw this. But even then you did not turn away from your sins and believe him.

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. He said,“ What did you go out into the desert to see? Tall grass waving in the wind?

“ The time has come,” he said.“ The kingdom of God has come near. Turn away from your sins and believe the good news!”