1 No man has seen God at any time; the only Son, God, which is in the bosom of his Father, he has told of him.
2 And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent to him from Jerusalem priests 3 and Levites to ask him, Who are you? And he acknowledged, and denied not; 4 and he confessed that he was not the Messiah. And they asked him again, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not he. Are you a prophet? He 5 said, No. They said unto him, Then who are you? That we may answer them that 6 sent us. What do you say of yourself? And he said, I am the voice that cries in 7 the desert, Repair ye the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. And they 8 that were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, Why do you baptize now, when you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor a prophet? 9 John answered and said unto them, I baptize with water: among you is standing 10 one whom you know not: this is he who I said comes after me and was before 11 me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. And that was in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
12 Now 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. Then went out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region which is about the 14, 15 Jordan; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said unto them, You children of vipers, who has led you to flee from the wrath to come? 16, 17 Do now the fruits which are worthy of repentance; and 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. Behold, the axe has been laid at the roots of the trees, and so every tree that bears not good fruit shall be taken and 19 cast into the fire. And the multitudes were asking him and saying, What shall we do? 20 He answered and said unto them, He that has two tunics shall give to him that 21 has not; and he that has food shall do likewise. And the publicans also came 22 to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what shall we do? He said unto 23 them, Seek not more than what you are commanded to seek. And the servants 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 And when the people were conjecturing about John, and all of them thinking 25 in their hearts whether he were haply the Messiah, John answered and said unto them, I baptize you with water; there comes 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: who takes the fan in his hand to cleanse his threshing-floors, [Arabic, p. 16] and the wheat he gathers into his garners, while the straw he shall burn in fire which can not be put out.
27 And other things he taught and preached among the people.
28 Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized of him. 29 And Jesus was about thirty years old, and it was supposed that he was the son of 30 Joseph. And John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, This is the Lamb of 31 God, that takes on itself the burden of the sins of the world! This is he concerning whom I said, There comes after me a man who was before me, because he was 32 before me. And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, 33 for this cause came I to baptize with water. And John was hindering him and 34 saying, I have need of being baptized by you, and do you come to me? Jesus answered him and said, Suffer this now: thus it is our duty to fulfill all righteousness. 35 Then he suffered him. And when all the people were baptized, Jesus also 36 was baptized. And immediately he went up out of the water, and heaven opened 37 [Arabic, p. 17] to him, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the similitude of the 38 body of a dove; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved 39 Son, in whom I am well pleased. And John bore witness and said, I beheld the 40 Spirit descend from heaven like a dove; and it abode upon him. But I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever you shall behold the Spirit descending and lighting upon him, the same is he that 41 baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.
42, 43 And Jesus returned from the Jordan, filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately the Spirit took him out into the wilderness, to be tried of the devil; and he 44 was with the beasts. And he fasted forty days and forty nights. And he ate nothing 45 in those days, and at the end of them he hungered. And the tempter came and said unto him, If you are the Son of God, speak, and these stones shall become 46 bread. He answered and said, It is written, Not by bread alone shall man live, but 47 by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Then the devil brought 48 him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down: for it is written,
He shall give his angels charge concerning you:
And they shall take you on their arms,
So that your foot shall not stumble against a stone.
49 Jesus said unto him, And it is written also, You shall not tempt the Lord your 50 God. And the devil took him up to a high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms 51 [Arabic, p. 18] of the earth, and their glory, in the least time; and the devil said unto him, To you will I give all this dominion, and its glory, which is delivered to 52 me that I may give it to whomsoever I will. If then you will worship before me, all of it shall be yours.
Source: The Diatessaron (New Advent)