Matthew 3:1-17
3 E come reach the time wey John the Baptist start to preach for the wilderness of Ju·de′a,
2 de talk say: “Make una repent, because the Kingdom wey dey heaven don near.”
3 True-true, na this person Isaiah the prophet talk about say: “Them de hear one loud voice from wilderness wey de talk say: ‘Make Jehovah road* ready! Make im roads straight.’”
4 Now, John de wear cloth wey them make with camel hair, and e de use leather belt tie im waist and na locusts and bush honey be im food.
5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Ju·de′a and all the country around the Jordan de go meet-am,
6 and e baptize them* for River Jordan, as them de confess their sin for front of everybody.
7 When e see many Pharisee people and Sadducee people wey de come where e de baptize people, e come ask them say: “Una wey be children of vipers,* who warn una say make una run comot from the punishment wey God de bring?
8 So make una do wetin* show say una don repent.
9 Make una no tell unaself say, ‘Abraham na our papa.’ Because I de tell una say God fit bring children out of this stones for Abraham.
10 Them don already put the axe for the bottom of the trees. So every tree wey no de produce better fruit, them go cut-am down and throw-am put for fire.
11 Me, na water I take de baptize una because una don repent, but the person wey de come after me strong pass me. I no even reach to comot im sandals from im leg. That person go use holy spirit and fire baptize una.
12 Im shovel wey e take de blow chaff* comot dey im hand and e go clean the place wey e de separate grain from plant make single dirty no dey, and e go pack the wheat put for the storehouse, but e go burn the chaff with fire wey them no fit quench.”
13 Then Jesus come from Gal′i·lee come meet John for River Jordan so that John go baptize-am.
14 But John try to stop-am, de talk say: “Na you suppose baptize me, you come de come meet me?”
15 Jesus come tell-am say: “Leave-am make e be like that, because na like this we fit do everything wey correct for God eye.” So John no stop-am again.
16 After Jesus don baptize, e just come out of the water; and see! heaven* come open, e come see the spirit of God wey de come down ontop-am like dove.
17 See! One voice come still talk from heaven say: “This na my Son wey I love, wey de make me happy.”
Footnotes
^ Or “way.”
^ Or “dip them inside water.”
^ Or “dangerous snakes.”
^ For Greek na, “produce fruit wey.”
^ Or “kanda; back of grain.”
^ Or “the heavens.”
