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:
“Mawu a wofuwula mʼchipululu,
konzani njira ya Ambuye,
wongolani njira zake.
5 Chigwa chilichonse chidzadzazidwa
ndipo phiri lililonse ndi mtunda uliwonse zidzasalazidwa,
misewu yokhotakhota idzawongoledwa,
ndi njira zosasalala zidzasalazidwa.
6 Ndipo anthu onse adzaona chipulumutso cha Mulungu.”
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.”