Matthew 3 Literally Rendered

(See Accompanying Matthew 3 Questions and Proposed Answers on this site.)

Matthew 3:1 Now in those days, Yokhanan the Immerser comes proclaiming in the wilderness of Judaea ²and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near! ³For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘A voice is calling in the desert! Turn ye the Way of Yehovah! Straighten-ye in the steppe a highway for our Gods!’” ⁴And Yokhanan himself had his raiment of hair of a camel, and a girdle of leather about his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

⁵Then Jerusalem went out to him, and all Judea, and all the country around the Jordan, ⁶and were immersed by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷But having seen many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, “Offspring of vipers! Who forewarned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance! ⁹And do not think to say within yourselves, “We have father Avraham!” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Avraham from these stones! ¹⁰But the axe is already also applied to the root of the trees! Every tree not producing good fruit, therefore, is cut down and is cast into fire! ¹¹I indeed immerse you with water to repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, of whom I am not fit to bear the sandals. He will immerse you with the Holy Spirit and with fire, ¹²of whom the winnowing fan is in His hand. And He will thoroughly purge His floor. And He will gather His wheat into the granary, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire!”

¹³Then Yeshua comes from Galilee to the Jordan to Yokhanan to be immersed by him. ¹⁴But Yokhanan was hindering Him, saying, “I have need to be immersed by Thee! And Thou comest to me? ¹⁵But Yeshua answering said to him, “Permit now. For thus it is becoming to us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permits Him. ¹⁶And having been immersed, Yeshua went up immediately from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to Him. And he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him. ¹⁷And behold, a voice is out of the heavens, saying, “This is my Son the beloved in Whom I have thought-well!”