The Gospel According to St Matthew

 1 In those days came ^aJohn the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,

 2 And saying, ^aRepent ye: for the ^bkingdom of heaven ^cis at hand.

 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet ^aEsaias, saying, The ^bvoice of one crying in the wilderness, ^cPrepare ye the way of the Lord, make his ^dpaths straight.

 4 And the same John had his ^araiment of ^bcamel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was ^clocusts and wild honey.

 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan,

 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, ^aconfessing their sins.

 7 ¶But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his ^abaptism, he said unto them, O ^bgeneration of vipers, who hath ^cwarned you to flee from the wrath to come?

 8 ^aBring forth therefore fruits ^bmeet for ^crepentance:

 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham ^ato our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which ^abringeth not forth good fruit is ^bhewn down, and cast into the fire.

 11 ^aI indeed ^bbaptize you with water unto ^crepentance: but ^dhe that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not ^eworthy to bear: he shall ^fbaptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with ^gfire:

 12 Whose ^afan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the ^bgarner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable ^cfire.

 13 ¶Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be ^abaptized of him.

 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

 15 ^aAnd Jesus answering said unto him, ^bSuffer it to be so now: for thus it ^cbecometh us to ^dfulfil all ^erighteousness. Then he suffered him.

 16 And Jesus, when he was ^abaptized, went up ^bstraightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the ^cSpirit of God descending like a ^ddove, and lighting upon him:

 17 And lo a ^avoice from heaven, saying, This is my ^bbeloved ^cSon, in whom I am well pleased.