16. John’s answer to this was, “I baptize you in water, but there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who unties his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
17. He will come ready to clean the grain. He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will put the good part into his barn. Then he will burn the useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped.”
18. John said many other things like this to encourage the people to change, and he told them the Good News.
19. John criticized Herod the ruler for what he had done with Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother, as well as for all the other bad things he had done.
20. So Herod added another bad thing to all his other wrongs: He put John in jail.
21. When all the people were being baptized, Jesus came and was baptized too. And while he was praying, the sky opened,
22. and the Holy Spirit came down on him. The Spirit looked like a real dove. Then a voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you.”