# Matthew 3.1

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-08-18 | updated: 2026-08-18 -->

**Book:** [Matthew](/codex/matthew/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> **1. And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying,**
>
> 2. Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3. For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Matthew 3:1-3, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> **1. In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,**
>
> 2. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” 3. For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.” (Matthew 3:1-3, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> **1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,**
>
> 2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Matthew 3:1-3, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> **1. And in those days cometh John the Baptist, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,**
>
> 2. and saying, 'Reform, for come nigh hath the reign of the heavens,' 3. for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths.' (Matthew 3:1-3, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Concepts:**

- [Messianic Prophecy](/codex/messianic-prophecy/), via [Matthew 3.1-3](/codex/matthew-3-1-3/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.