¹Pamazuva iwayo kwakauya Johwani Mubhabhatidzi, achiparidza murenje reJudhiya,

¹And in those days cometh John the Baptist, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,

²achiti: Tendeukai; nekuti ushe hwematenga hwaswedera.

²and saying, `Reform, for come nigh hath the reign of the heavens,`

³Nekuti uyu ndiye wakarehwa nezvake naIsaya muporofita, achiti: Inzwi reanodanidzira murenje: Gadzirirai mugwagwa waIshe, ruramisai nzira dzake.

³for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, `A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths.`

⁴Iyezve Johwani waiva nechipfeko chake chemakushe ekamera nebhanhire rechikumba rakapoteredza chiuno chake; nechikafu chake chaiva mhashu neuchi hwedondo.

⁴And this John had his clothing of camel`s hair, and a girdle of skin round his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and honey of the field.

⁵Zvino kwakabudira kwaari Jerusarema neJudhiya rose nedunhu rose rakapoteredza Joridhani;

⁵Then were going forth unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan,

⁶vakabhabhatidzwa naye muna Joridhani vachireurura zvivi zvavo.

⁶and they were baptized in the Jordan by him, confessing their sins.

⁷Asi wakati achiona vazhinji vevaFarisi nevaSadhusi vachiuya kurubhabhatidzo rwake akati kwavari: Zvizvarwa zvenyoka, ndiani wakakutaridzirai kuti mutize hasha dzinouya?

⁷And having seen many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming about his baptism, he said to them, `Brood of vipers! who did shew you to flee from the coming wrath?

⁸Naizvozvo berekai zvibereko zvakafanira kutendeuka.

⁸bear, therefore, fruits worthy of the reformation,

⁹Musafunga kutaura mukati menyu muchiti: Tina Abhurahamu anova baba; nekuti ndinoti kwamuri: Mwari anokwanisa kubva pamabwe awa kumutsira Abhurahamu vana.

⁹and do not think to say in yourselves, A father we have — Abraham, for I say to you, that God is able out of these stones to raise children to Abraham,

¹⁰Uye sanhuwo ratoiswa pamudzi wemiti, naizvozvo muti umwe neumwe usingabereki zvibereko zvakanaka unotemwa ugokandirwa mumoto.

¹⁰and now also, the axe unto the root of the trees is laid, every tree therefore not bearing good fruit is hewn down, and to fire is cast.

¹¹Ini zvirokwazvo ndinokubhabhatidzai nemvura mupinde mukutendeuka; asi uyo anouya shure kwangu ane simba kupfuura ini, wandisina kufanira kutakura shangu dzake; iye uchakubhabhatidzai neMweya Mutsvene nemoto.

¹¹`I indeed do baptize you with water to reformation, but he who after me is coming is mightier than I, of whom I am not worthy to bear the sandals, he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire,

¹²Une rusero rwuri muruoko rwake, uchachenesa buriro rake kwazvo, agounganidzira zviyo zvake mudura, asi hundi uchaipisa nemoto usingadzimiki.

¹²whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and will gather his wheat to the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.`

¹³Ipapo Jesu wakabva Garirea akasvika paJoridhani kuna Johwani, kuti abhabhatidzwe naye.

¹³Then cometh Jesus from Galilee upon the Jordan, unto John to be baptized by him,

¹⁴Asi Johwani wakamurambidza achiti: Ini kunodikamwa kuti ndibhabhatidzwa nemwi, asi imwi mouya kwandiri?

¹⁴but John was forbidding him, saying, `I have need by thee to be baptized — and thou dost come unto me!`

¹⁵Asi Jesu achipindura wakati kwaari: Tenda ikozvino, nekuti saizvozvo zvakatifanira kuti tizadzise kururama kose. Ipapo akamutendera.

¹⁵But Jesus answering said to him, `Suffer now, for thus it is becoming to us to fulfill all righteousness,` then he doth suffer him.

¹⁶Asi Jesu, wakati abhabhatidzwa, akakwira pakarepo achibva mumvura; zvino tarira, matenga akamuzarukira, akaona Mweya waMwari achiburuka senjiva, achiuya pamusoro pake.

¹⁶And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and lo, opened to him were the heavens, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him,

¹⁷Zvino tarira, inzwi richibva kumatenga richiti: Uyu ndiye Mwanakomana wangu anodikamwa, wandinofara naye kwazvo.

¹⁷and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, `This is My Son — the Beloved, in whom I did delight.`