⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(A) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(B) 8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^{(C) 9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(D) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(E)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[a] water for repentance.^(F) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit^(G) and fire.^{(H) 12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(I)

⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.^(A)

⁸ I baptize you with^[a] water, but he will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit.”^(A)

²⁴ Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with^[a] water,”^(A) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me,^(B) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”^(C)

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,^(D) where John was baptizing.