Matthew 3:11 - Plain English Version

¹¹ John kept on talking to the people. He said, “If you say you are sorry for the bad things you did, and if you turn to God, then I will baptise you with water. But somebody is coming soon, and he is more important than me. I’m not even good enough to carry his shoes. I’m just nothing. He will put the Holy Spirit in you, that is, he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹¹ I indeed baptize you in (with) water because of repentance [that is, because of your changing your minds for the better, heartily amending your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins]. But He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy or fit to take off or carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

American Standard Version (1901)

¹¹ I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire:

Common English Bible

¹¹ I baptize with water those of you who have changed your hearts and lives. The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹¹ Indeed, I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who will come after me is more powerful than me. I am not worthy to carry his shoes. He will baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11 Cross References

Matthew 3:6

And, after those people said they were sorry for the bad things they did, John took them through a special washing ceremony, that is, he baptised them in the Jordan River.

Mark 1:4

Isaiah was talking about a man called John. God sent him to get things ready for Jesus, so he started to tell people God’s message. He lived out in the bush and wore rough clothes made out of camel’s hair, and a leather belt. He ate grasshoppers and bush honey. John talked to people out there in the bush. He said, “You mob have to be really sorry for the wrong way you are living. You have to turn right around and live God’s way.” He also told them, “If you do that, I will baptise you. That means, I will take you through a special washing ceremony. And God will not do payback for the bad things you did.” A lot of people went out into the bush to listen to John. They came from the city called Jerusalem and from other towns in that country called Judea. Some people told John that they were sorry for the wrong things they did, so he baptised them in the Jordan River.

Luke 1:17

Remember Elijah, God’s man that lived a long time ago. He had God’s spirit in him, and he did powerful things. Well, in the same way, your son John will have God’s spirit in him, and he will do powerful things. He will get people ready for God. John will get people to turn around and live the right way. He will get the men that are fathers to love their kids properly. And he will get people to listen properly to the sensible words of good people. Even those people that don’t listen to God now, he will get them to listen to good people.”

John 1:15

But before we saw the Word, this is what John told everybody about him. He said, “I am telling you about a man that will come later. He is a lot greater than I am. You see, he was alive even before I was born.”

John 1:30

He is the man I told you about. I said, ‘He is a lot greater than I am. You see, he was always alive, even before I was born.’

Acts 1:5

Remember John the Baptiser. He baptised people with water. That means, he took them through a special washing ceremony. But in a few days time, God will baptise you with the Holy Spirit. That means, he will put his spirit in you.”

Acts 19:4

Paul said, “John baptised people that turned away from doing bad things. But he also told people to believe in the man that was coming after him. That man is Jesus.”

Acts 8:36

They kept going along the road, and they came to some water. The Ethiopian man said, “Look, there is some water. I want you to baptise me now.”

Acts 8:38

Then he told the man that was controlling the horses to stop. And the Ethiopian man and Philip went down into the water, and Philip baptised the Ethiopian man.

1 Corinthians 12:13

Some of us are Jews, and the rest of us are not Jews. Some of us are free, and some of us are like prisoners that have to work for no pay. But no matter what we are, God put his spirit into all of us, that is, he baptised us in his spirit. He did that to join us together into one body. Now we all have that same Holy Spirit in us.

Ephesians 3:8

I’m not important. All of God’s people are more important than me. But God was good to me, and he gave me this special job. He sent me to tell the people that are not Jews about the really great things that Jesus Christ can give them. These things are so great that nobody can understand them properly.

Titus 3:5

God saved us, but he didn’t save us because we did good things. No. He saved us because he felt really sorry for us. Then his Holy Spirit washed us so that we are really clean inside, and he made us like we got born again as new people.

1 Peter 5:5

Listen, you young people, it is like this. You have to listen carefully to your Christian leaders. Don’t think you are great or more important than other people. Think about what God says in his book. He says, “God is against people that think they are great, but he is good to people that know they are not great.”