“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you
are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look
for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him
when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that
bleaches clothes. 3He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the
Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable
sacrifices to the LORD. 4 Then once more the LORD will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’”
