⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized^(A) by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(B) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(C) 8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^{(D) 9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(E) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(F)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[a] water for repentance.^(G) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit^(H) and fire.^{(I) 12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(J)

²³ Now John^(A) also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.

²⁴ Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.^(A)

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism^(A) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(B)