Content

CAP 3
1 In tho daies Joon Baptist cam, and prechide in the desert of Judee,
2 and seide, Do ye penaunce, for the kyngdom of heuenes shal neiye.
3 For this is he, of whom it is seid bi Ysaie, the prophete, seyinge, A vois of a crier in desert, Make ye redi the weies of the Lord; make ye riyt the pathis of hym.
4 And this Joon hadde clothing of camels heeris, and a girdil of skynne aboute hise leendis; and his mete was honysoukis, and hony of the wode.
5 Thanne Jerusalem wente out to hym, and al Judee, and al the cuntre aboute Jordan;
6 and thei weren waischun of hym in Jordan, `and knowlechiden her synnes.
7 But he siy manye of the Farysees and of Saduceis comynge to his baptym, and seide to hem, Generaciouns of eddris, who shewide to you to fle fro the wraththe that is to come?
8 Therfor do ye worthi fruyte of penaunce,
9 and nyle ye seie with ynne you, We han Abraham to fadir; for Y seie to you, that God is myyti to reise vp of these stoones the sones of Abraham.
10 And now the ax is put to the roote of the tree; therfore euery tree that makith not good fruyt, shal be kit doun, and shal be cast in to the fier.
11 Y waische you in water, in to penaunce; but he that shal come after me is strongere than Y, whos schoon Y am not worthi to bere; he shal baptise you in the Hooli Goost and fier.
12 Whos wynewing cloth is in his hoond, and he shal fulli clense his corn flore, and shal gadere his whete in to his berne; but the chaffe he shal brenne with fier that mai not be quenchid.
13 Thanne Jhesus cam fro Galilee in to Jordan to Joon, to be baptised of hym.
14 And Joon forbede him, and seide, Y owe to be baptisid of thee, and thou comest to me?
15 But Jhesus answeride, and seide to hym, Suffre nowe, for thus it fallith to vs to fulfille al riytfulnesse.
16 Thanne Joon suffride hym. And whanne Jhesus was baptisid, anoon he wente up fro the watir; and lo! heuenes weren openyd to hym, and he saie the Spirit of God comynge doun as a dowue, and comynge on hym; and loo!
17 a vois fro heuenes, seiynge, This is my louyd sone, in which Y haue plesid to me.