1 Mʼchaka cha 15 mu ulamuliro wa Tiberiyo Kaisara, Pontiyo Pilato ali bwanamkubwa wa Yudeya, Herode ankalamulira ku Galileya, mʼbale wake Filipo ankalamulira ku Iturea ndi ku dera la Trakoniti, ndipo Lusaniyo ankalamulira ku Abilene. 2 Inalinso nthawi ya mkulu wa ansembe wa Anasi ndi Kayafa, pamene mawu a Mulungu anabwera kwa Yohane mwana wa Zakariya mʼchipululu. 3 Iye anapita ku dziko lonse lozungulira mtsinje wa Yorodani, nalalikira ubatizo wa kulapa ndi kukhululukidwa kwa machimo. 4 Monga analembera mʼbuku la Yesaya mneneri kuti:
7 Yohane anati kwa magulu a anthu amene amabwera kudzabatizidwa ndi iye, “Ana anjoka inu! Anakuchenjezani ndani kuti muthawe mkwiyo umene ukubwera? 8 Onetsani zipatso zakutembenuka mtima, ndipo musamanene mwa inu nokha kuti, ‘Tili nalo kholo lathu Abrahamu,’ pakuti ndikuwuzani kuti kuchokera ku miyala iyi, Mulungu akhoza kumuwutsira Abrahamuyo ana. 9 Nkhwangwa ili kale pa muzu wamitengo, ndipo mtengo uliwonse umene subala chipatso chabwino udzadulidwa ndi kuponyedwa pa moto.”
10 Gulu la anthuwo linafunsa kuti, “Nanga tsono tichite chiyani?”
11 Yohane anayankha kuti, “Munthu amene ali ndi malaya awiri apatseko amene alibe, ndi amene ali ndi chakudya achitenso chimodzimodzi.”
12 Amisonkho nawonso anabwera kudzabatizidwa. Iwo anafunsa kuti, “Aphunzitsi, ife tichite chiyani?”
13 Iye anawawuza kuti, “Musalandire moposa zimene muyenera.” 14 Kenaka asilikali ena anamufunsa kuti, “Nanga ife tichite chiyani?”
15 Anthu ankadikira ndi chiyembekezo ndipo ankasinkhasinkha mʼmitima mwawo kuti mwina Yohane nʼkukhala Khristu. 16 Yohane anayankha onse kuti, “Ine ndikubatizani ndi madzi. Koma wina wondiposa ine mphamvu adzabwera amene sindili woyenera kumasula lamba wa nsapato zake. Iyeyu adzakubatizani inu ndi Mzimu Woyera ndi moto. 17 Mʼdzanja lake muli chopetera kuti ayeretse powomberapo tirigu ndi kusonkhanitsa tirigu ndipo adzatentha zotsalira zonse ndi moto wosazimitsika.” 18 Ndipo ndi mawu ena ambiri, Yohane anawachenjeza anthu ndi kuwalalikira Uthenga Wabwino.
19 Koma pamene Yohane anadzudzula Herode wolamulirayo chifukwa chokwatira Herodia, mkazi wa mʼbale wake, ndi zoyipa zina zonse anazichita, 20 Herode anawonjezanso choyipa ichi pa zonsezo: Anatsekera Yohane mʼndende.
21 Pamene anthu onse ankabatizidwa, Yesu anabatizidwanso. Ndipo akupemphera, kumwamba kunatsekuka. 22 Mzimu Woyera anatsika pa Iye mumaonekedwe a nkhunda ndipo mawu anamveka kuchokera kumwamba: “Iwe ndiwe Mwana wanga wokondedwa; ndimakondwera nawe.”
23 Ndipo Yesu anali ndi zaka makumi atatu pamene anayamba ntchito yake. Monga mmene anthu ankaganizira, Iyeyo anali mwana wa Yosefe,