Therefore (John) said to the crowds, who had come out to be baptized by him:
‘You, family of snakes, who told you to flee from the coming wrath?’
‘So ‘make‘ fruits, worthy of repentance
and do not begin to say among yourselves:
“We have Abraham, as our father.”
For I say to you “God can raise from these stones children for Abraham”.
So already the axe is laid at the root of the trees,
Then, a tree that does not ‘make‘ good fruit
will be cut down, and thrown into fire.’
And the crowds were asking him:
‘Then, what should we do?’
He answered them:
‘The one who has two tunics,
let them share with one who has none,
and the one who has food
must do likewise’
Tax collectors even came to be baptized
and they said to him:
‘Teacher what should we do?’
So he said to them:
‘Collect no more than you are required to!’
And soldiers asked him:
‘And us – what must we do?’
And he said to them:
‘Don’t shake anyone down, nor falsely accuse anyone,
and be content with your wages.’
And,
the people being expectant
and wondering in their hearts about John
that perhaps he might be the Messiah,
John answered them all:
“I baptize you by water,
but a stronger one than me is coming,
I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.
He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and fire.
His winnowing fork is in his hand
to clean out his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
So in this way, with many other exhortations
he proclaimed the good news to the people.