Nowin thosedaysJohnthe Baptistcame,preachingin the wildernessof Judea,saying,
"And you, child,will be calledthe prophetof the Most High;For you will goon BEFORETHE LORDTO PREPAREHIS WAYS;
"TrulyI sayto you, amongthose bornof womenthere has not arisen[anyone] greaterthan Johnthe Baptist!Yetthe onewho is leastin the kingdomof heavenis greaterthan he.
and saying,"The timeis fulfilled,and the kingdomof Godis at hand;repentand believein the gospel."
And they said,"Some[say] Johnthe Baptist;and others,Elijah;but still others,Jeremiah,oroneof the prophets."
beginningwith the baptismof Johnuntilthe daythat He was takenup from us-- oneof these[must] becomea witnesswith us of His resurrection."
When the messengersof Johnhad left,He beganto speakto the crowdsaboutJohn,"Whatdid you goout into the wildernessto see?A reedshakenby the wind?
As thesemen were going[away], Jesusbeganto speakto the crowdsaboutJohn,"Whatdid you goout into the wildernessto see?A reedshakenby the wind?
"Thereforebearfruitin keepingwith repentance;
"For Johncameto you in the wayof righteousnessand you did not believehim; but the tax collectorsand prostitutesdid believehim; and you, seeing[this], did not evenfeel remorseafterwardso as to believehim.
The descendantsof the Kenite,Moses'father-in-law,wentup from the cityof palmswith the sonsof Judah,to the wildernessof Judahwhichis in the southof Arad;and they wentand livedwith the people.
"Nowbehold,the LORDhas let me live,justas He spoke,theseforty-fiveyears,from the timethat the LORDspokethiswordto Moses,whenIsraelwalkedin the wilderness;and nowbehold,I am eighty-fiveyearsoldtoday.
Then Benaiahthe sonof Jehoiadawentup and fellupon him and puthim to death,and he was buriedat his own housein the wilderness.
As it is writtenin Isaiahthe prophet:"BEHOLD,I SENDMY MESSENGERAHEADOF YOU, WHOWILL PREPAREYOUR WAY;
