Matthew 3 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Around that time, John the Submerger showed up in the Judean wilderness, and his message was simple:

"Rethink everything — because God's kingdom is arriving right now!"

This is the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said: "A voice is shouting in the wilderness: 'Clear a path for Yahweh! Straighten out the road for him!'"

John wore clothes made from camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he lived on locusts and wild honey.

People from Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from the entire Jordan River region were streaming out to see him.

They were openly admitting the ways they'd failed God, and John was submerging them in the Jordan River.

But when John saw a bunch of Pharisees and Sadducees showing up to be submerged, he said to them, "You bunch of snakes! Who tipped you off to run from the judgment that's coming?

Show by the way you live that you've actually changed direction.

And don't even think about telling yourselves, 'We're descendants of Abraham — we're fine.' Let me tell you something: God could raise up descendants for Abraham from these rocks right here.

The axe is already lying at the base of the trees. Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit gets chopped down and thrown into the fire.

I'm submerging you in water as a sign that you've changed direction. But someone is coming after me who is way more powerful than I am — I'm not even worthy to carry his sandals. He will submerge you in the Breath of God and in fire.

He's got his winnowing fork in his hand, and he's going to thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He'll gather his grain into the barn, but the worthless husks he'll burn up in a fire that never goes out."

Then Jesus arrived at the Jordan River from Galilee and came to John to be submerged by him.

But John tried to stop him. "I'm the one who needs to be submerged by you," he said, "and you're coming to me?"

But Jesus answered him, "Let it happen for now — this is how we fulfill everything that's right." So John agreed.

As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, the sky split open and he saw the Breath of God coming down like a dove and landing on him.

And a voice came from the sky: "This is my Son, and I love him. He makes me so proud."