As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and was eating locusts and wild honey.

I baptized you in water, but He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit."

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.

And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God; for the Lord has spoken [it].

who shall turn again the heart of the father to the son, and the heart of a man to his neighbor, lest I come and smite the earth grievously.

In those days John the Baptist arrived preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"

Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him

But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

and do not think to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham out of these stones.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit,

And when John had heard in prison about the works of the Messiah, having sent two of his disciples,

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John the things which you hear and see:

And blessed is the [one] who is not offended because of Me."

But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft garments are in kings' houses.

For this is he about whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men seize it.

And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah, the [one] who is about to come.

But to what shall I compare this generation? It is similar to children who sit in the marketplaces and call to their playmates,

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.

And he himself will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

in the time of the high priest Annas and [the high priest] Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD, make His paths straight.

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John.

He was not that Light, but [was sent] so that he might testify concerning the Light.

He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, and the world did not know Him.

But as many as received Him, He gave them the authority to become children of God, to those who believe in His name;

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

And out of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared [Him].

He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah."

Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"

Now those who had been sent were from the Pharisees.

John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.

These things happened in Bethany, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

This is the [One] about whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who ranks before me, because He was before me.'

And John testified, saying, "I have beheld the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.

"And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

And looking at Jesus as He [was] walking, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.

"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. Therefore my joy has been fulfilled.

For the end, concerning the morning aid, A Psalm of David. O God, my God, attend to me; why have You forsaken me? The account of my transgressions is far from my salvation.

But You, O praise of Israel, dwell in a sanctuary.

They cried to You, and were saved; they hoped in You, and were not ashamed.

All that saw Me mocked Me; they spoke with [their] lips, they shook the head, [saying],

For You are He that drew Me out of the womb; My hope from My mother's breasts.

Be not far from Me, for affliction is near; for there is no helper.

They have opened their mouth against Me, as a ravening and roaring lion.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and My tongue is glued to My throat; and You have brought Me down to the dust of death.

They counted all My bones; and they observed and looked upon Me.

But You, O Lord, be not far from Me; be ready for My aid.

Save Me from the lion's mouth; and [regard] My lowliness from the horns of the unicorns.

You that fear the Lord, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him; let all the seed of Israel fear Him.

My praise is of You in the great congregation; I will pay My vows before them that fear Him.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before Him.

All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and worshipped; all that go down to the earth shall fall down before Him; my soul also lives to him.

And they shall report His righteousness to the people that shall be born, whom the Lord has made.

For the end, [A Psalm] of David, for alternate [strains]. Save me, O God; for the waters have come in to my soul.

I am weary [of] crying, my throat has become hoarse; my eyes have failed by my waiting on my God.

O God, You know my foolishness; and my transgressions are not hidden from You.

For I have suffered reproach for Your sake; shame has covered my face.

For the zeal of Your house has eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached You have fallen upon me.

And I put on sackcloth for my covering; and I became a proverb to them.

But I [will cry] to You, O Lord, in my prayer; O God, it is a propitious time: in the multitude of Your mercy hear me, in the truth of Your salvation.

Let not the floodwater drown me, nor let the deep swallow me up; neither let the well shut its mouth upon me.

And turn not away Your face from Your servant; for I am afflicted; hear me speedily.

For You know my reproach, and my shame, and my confusion; all that afflict me are before You.

They gave [me] also gall for my food, and made me drink vinegar for my thirst.

Let their eyes be darkened that they should not see; and bow down their back continually.

Let their habitation be made desolate; and let there be no inhabitant in their tents;

Add iniquity to their iniquity; and let them not come into Your righteousness.

I am poor and sorrowful; but the salvation of Your countenance has helped me.

and [this] shall please God more than a young calf having horns and hoofs.

For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners.

For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judah shall be built; and [men] shall dwell there, and inherit it.

O Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

But His form was ignoble, and inferior to that of the children of men; [He was] a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for His face has turned from [us]; He was dishonored, and not esteemed.

But He was wounded on account of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; [and] by His stripes we are healed.

And He, because of His affliction, opened not His mouth; He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

And I will give the wicked for His burial, and the rich for His death; for He practiced no iniquity, nor craft with His mouth.

the Lord also is pleased to take away from the travail of His soul, to show Him light, and to form [Him] with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and He shall bear their sins.

Seventy weeks have been determined upon your people, and upon the holy city, for sin to be ended, to seal up transgressions, to blot out iniquities, to make atonement for iniquities, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

And after the sixty-two weeks, the Anointed One shall be killed, and there is no judgment in Him. And He shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is to come: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed He shall appoint [the city] to desolations.

Awake, O sword, against My shepherds, and against the man who is My citizen, says the Lord Almighty; strike the shepherds, and draw out the sheep: and I will bring My hand upon the little ones.

But I am a worm, and not a man; a reproach of men, and the scorn of the people.

All that saw Me mocked Me; they spoke with [their] lips, they shook the head, [saying],

Those that sit in the gate talked against me, and those that drank wine sang against me.

Arise, O God, plead Your cause; remember Your reproaches that come from the foolish one all the day.

Thus says the Lord that delivered you, the God of Israel, Sanctify him that despises his life, him that is abhorred by the nations that are the servants of princes; kings shall behold him, and princes shall arise, and shall worship him, for the Lord's sake; for the Holy One of Israel is faithful, and I have chosen you.

I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows; and I turned not away my face from the shame of spitting;

As many shall be amazed at You, so shall Your face be without glory from men, and Your glory [shall not be honored] by the sons of men.

O Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

But His form was ignoble, and inferior to that of the children of men; [He was] a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for His face has turned from [us]; He was dishonored, and not esteemed.

And the Lord said to me, Drop them into the furnace, and I will see if it is good metal, as I was proved for their sakes. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the furnace in the house of the Lord.

Then Herod, with his men of war, having treated Him with contempt, and having mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

Then one of the evildoers who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."

but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming to be in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.