¶The .iij. Chapter.
¶1 Iohns preachyng, office, lyfe, baptisme, 7 reprehendyng of the Pharisees, 13 and baptizyng of Christe in Iordane.
[unspec A] 1 IN those dayes, came Iohn the * 1.1Baptist, preachyng in the wyl∣dernesse of Iurie, and saying.
2 * 1.2Repent, (a) 1.3 for the kingdome of heauen is at hande.
3 * 1.4For this is he, of whom it is spoken by the prophete Esayas, saying. * 1.5The voyce of one crying in the wyldernesse: prepare ye the way of the Lorde, make his pathes strayght.
4 This Iohn had his rayment of Ca∣mels heere, * 1.6 and a girdle of a skynne about his loynes, * 1.7his meate was lo∣custes, and * 1.8wylde hony.
5 Then went out to hym Hierusalem, and all Iurie, and all the region rounde about Iordane,
6 And were baptized of hym in Ior∣dane, confessying their sinnes.
[unspec B] 7 But when he sawe many of the Pha∣risees, and Saducees come to his bap∣tisme, he sayde vnto them. * 1.9O generati∣on of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the anger to come?
8 Bryng foorth therefore fruites meete for repentaunce.
9 And be not of suche mynde, that ye woulde say within your selues, we haue Abraham to [our] father. For I say vn∣to you, that God is able, of these stones to rayse vp chyldren vnto Abraham.
10 Euen now is the axe also put vnto the roote of the trees: therefore, * 1.10 euery tree which bryngeth not foorth good fruite, is hewen downe, and cast into the fire.
11 I baptize you in water * 1.11vnto repen∣taunce: [unspec C] But he that shall come after me, is mightier then I, whose shoes I am not worthy to beare, he shall baptize you with the holy ghost, and with fire.
12 * 1.12Whose fanne is in his hande, and he wyll purge his floore, and gather his wheate into [his] garner: but wyl burne vp the chaffe with vnquencheable fire.
13 Then commeth Iesus from Galilee to Iordane, vnto Iohn, * 1.13 to be baptized of hym.
14 But Iohn forbad hym, saying. I haue nede to be baptized of thee, and commest thou to me?
15 Iesus aunsweryng, sayde vnto hym: Suffer it to be so nowe. For thus it be∣commeth vs, to fulfyll all righteousnes. Then he suffred hym.
16 And Iesus, when he was baptized, came strayghtwaye out of the water, and loe * 1.14 the heauens was open vnto hym, and (Iohn) sawe the spirite of God descendyng lyke a doue, and lyghtyng vpon hym.
17 And loe, there (came) a voyce from the heauens, saying: * 1.15 This is my beloued sonne, in whom I am well pleased.