^2 [a]while ^(A)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to ^(B)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ^3 (C)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance ^(D)for the remission of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵ Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, ¹⁶ John answered, saying to all, ^(A)“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will ^(B)baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and ^(C)gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.