Section IV.

Section IV.

[1] ³⁰³No man hath seen God at any time; the only Son, God,³⁰⁴ which is in the bosom of his Father, he hath told of him.

[2] ³⁰⁵And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent to him from Jerusalem priests [3] and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?  ³⁰⁶And he acknowledged, and denied not; [4] and he confessed that he was not the Messiah.  ³⁰⁷And they asked him again, What then?  Art thou Elijah?  And he said, I am not he.  Art thou a prophet?  He [5] said, No.  ³⁰⁸They said unto him, Then who art thou? that we may answer them that [6] sent us.  What sayest thou of thyself?  ³⁰⁹And he said, I am the voice that crieth in [7] the desert, Repair ye the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.  ³¹⁰And they [8] that were sent were from³¹¹ the Pharisees.  ³¹²And they asked him and said unto him, Why baptizest thou now, when thou art not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor a prophet?  [9] ³¹³John answered and said unto them, I baptize with³¹⁴ water:  among you is standing [10] one whom ye know not:  ³¹⁵this is he who I said cometh after me and was before [11] me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.  ³¹⁶And that was in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

[12] ³¹⁷Now John’s raiment was camel’s hair, and he was girded with skins, and his food [13] [Arabic, p. 15] was of locusts and honey of the wilderness.^{318   319}Then went out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region which is about the [14, 15] Jordan; ³²⁰and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  ³²¹But when he saw many of the Pharisees³²² and Sadducees³²³ coming to be baptized, he said unto them, Ye children of vipers, who hath led you to flee from the wrath to come?  [16, 17] ³²⁴Do now the fruits which are worthy of repentance; ³²⁵and think and say not within yourselves, We have a father, even Abraham; for I say unto you, that God is able to [18] raise up of these stones children unto Abraham.  ³²⁶Behold, the axe hath been laid at the roots of the trees, and so every tree that beareth not good fruit shall be taken and [19] cast into the fire.  ³²⁷And the multitudes were asking him and saying, What shall we do?  [20] ³²⁸He answered and said unto them, He that hath two tunics shall³²⁹ give to him that [21] hath not; and he that hath food shall³³⁰ do likewise.  ³³¹And the publicans also came [22] to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what shall we do?  ³³²He said unto [23] them, Seek not more than what ye are commanded to seek.  ³³³And the servants³³⁴ of the guard asked him and said, And we also, what shall we do?  He said unto them, Do not violence to any man, nor wrong him; and let your allowances satisfy you.

[24] ³³⁵And when the people were conjecturing about John, and all of them thinking [25] in their hearts whether he were haply³³⁶ the Messiah, ³³⁷John answered and said unto them, I baptize you with water; there cometh one after me who is stronger than I, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen; he will baptize you with the [26] Holy Spirit and fire:  ³³⁸who taketh the fan in his hand to cleanse his threshing-floors, [Arabic, p. 16] and the wheat he gathereth into his garners, while the straw he shall burn in fire which can³³⁹ not be put out.

[27] ³⁴⁰And other things he taught and preached among the people.

[28] ³⁴¹Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized of him.  [29] ³⁴²And Jesus was about thirty years old, and it was supposed that he was the son of [30] Joseph.^{343  344}And John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, This is the Lamb of [31] God, that taketh on itself the burden of the sins of the world!  ³⁴⁵This is he concerning whom I said, There cometh after me a man who was before me, because he was [32] before me.^{346  347}And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, [33] for this cause came I to baptize with water.  ³⁴⁸And John was hindering him and [34] saying, I have need of being baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?  ³⁴⁹Jesus answered him and said, Suffer this now:  thus it is our duty to fulfill all righteousness.  [35] Then he suffered him.  ³⁵⁰And when all the people were baptized, Jesus also [36] was baptized.  ³⁵¹And immediately he went up out of the water, and heaven opened [37] [Arabic, p. 17] to him,^{352 353}and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the similitude of the [38] body of a dove; ³⁵⁴and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved [39] Son, in whom I am well pleased.  ³⁵⁵And John bare witness and said, I beheld the [40] Spirit descend from heaven like a dove; and it abode upon him.  ³⁵⁶But I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt behold the Spirit descending and lighting upon him, the same is he that [41] baptizeth with the Holy Spirit.  ³⁵⁷And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.

[42, 43] ³⁵⁸And Jesus returned from the Jordan, filled with the Holy Spirit.  ³⁵⁹And immediately the Spirit took him out into the wilderness, to be tried of the devil;^{360 361}and he [44] was with the beasts.  ³⁶²And he fasted forty days and forty nights.  ³⁶³And he ate nothing [45] in those days, and at the end of them he hungered.  ³⁶⁴And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, speak, and these stones shall become [46] bread.  ³⁶⁵He answered and said, It is written, Not by bread alone shall man live, but [47] by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  ³⁶⁶Then the devil³⁶⁷ brought [48] him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, ³⁶⁸and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down:  for it is written,

He shall give his angels charge concerning thee:

And they shall take thee on their arms,

So that thy foot shall not stumble against a stone.

[49] ³⁶⁹Jesus said unto him, And³⁷⁰ it is written also, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy [50] God.  ³⁷¹And the devil³⁷² took him up to a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms [51] [Arabic, p. 18] of the earth, and their glory, in the least time; ³⁷³and the devil³⁷⁴ said unto him, To thee will I give all this dominion, and its glory, which is delivered to [52] me that I may give it to whomsoever I will.  ³⁷⁵If then thou wilt worship before me, all of it shall be thine.