Hark! The voice o ane cryin, out i the muirs:
‘Redd ye the gate o the Lord,
mak strecht his pads!’
This same John’s cleadin wis a raploch coat o caumel’s hair, wi a lethern girth about his waist, an 23locusts an bumbees’ hinnie wis aa his scran. Aa Jerusalem an the haill o Judaea an Jordanside gaed out til him an confessed their sins an hed baptism at his haunds i the Jordan.
Whan he saw a feck o Pharisees an Sadducees comin for baptism, he said til them, “Ye getts o ethers, wha warnished ye tae flee frae the comin wraith? Awà an bring furth the frutes o repentance! An thinkna tae say til yoursels, ‘We hae Abraham til our faither.’ I tell ye, God coud raise childer for Abraham out o thir stanes. The aix is lyin else at the ruits o the tree, an ilka tree at beirsna guid frute will be cuttit doun an cuissen intil the fire. I am baptízin ye wi watter, tae win ye tae repentance: but him at is comin efter me is michtier nor me, sae at I amna wurdie tae tak aff his shuin for him; an he will baptíze ye wi the Halie Spírit an fire. His shuil is eenou intil his haund, an weill will he dicht his threshin-fluir; his grain will he gether intil his corn-laft, but the caff will he brenn wi fire at downa be slockent!”
Jesus nou cam frae Galilee tae the Jordan tae be baptízed bi John. But John socht tae hender him: “I hae need tae be baptízed bi ye,” qo he, “an come ye tae me?”
But Jesus answert, “Lat it be sae for the nou; we behuive tae dae this, gin we ar tae dae God’s will in aathing.” Syne John loot him hae his will.
Jesus cam strecht up frae the watter efter he hed been baptízed, an on a suddentie the lift apent, an he saw the Spírit o God comin doun his airt like a dou; an strecht a voice cam out o the lift, sayin, “This is my beluvit Son; in him I am weill-pleised.”
4 SYNE JESUS WIS led awà bi the Spírit tae the muirs for tae be tempit bi the Deivil.
Whan he 24hedna haen bite nor soup for fortie days an fortie nichts an wis fell hungrisome, the Temper 25drew up til him an said, “Gin ye ar the Son o God, bid thir stanes turn intil laifs.”
Jesus answert, “It says i the Buik:
Man sanna líve on breid alane,
but on ilka wurd at comes
furth o God’s mouth”.
Neist the Deivil tuik him awà til the Halie Cítie an set him on the toupachin o the Temple an said til him, “Gin ye ar the Son o God, cast yoursel doun tae the grund; for it says i the Buik:
He will gíe his angels orders anent ye,
an they will haud ye up on their haunds,
at ye dingna your fit again a stane.”
Jesus answert, “Ithergates it says i the Buik: ‘Thou sanna pit the Lord thy God tae the pruif’.”
Aince mair the Deivil tuik him awà, this time til an unco heich muntain, whaur he shawed him aa the kíngdoms o the warld an aa their glorie, an said til him, “Aa thir I s’ gíe ye, gin ye will gae doun on your knees an wurship me.”
Than Jesus said til him, “Awà wi ye, Sautan! It says i the Buik:
Thou sal wurship the Lord thy God,
an him sal thou sair alane.”
At that the Deivil loot him abee, an immedentlie angels cam an 26begoud fettlin for him.
Whan he heared at John hed been incarcerate, he gaed back tae Galilee an, quattin Nazareth, sattelt in Capernaüm, doun at the Lochside, i the kintra o Zebulon an Naphtali. For sae it buid be, at the wurd spokken bi Isaiah the Prophet micht be fufilled, whan he says:
Laund o Zebulon, an Laund o Naphtali,
on the gate til the sea, atowre Jordan,
Galilee o the Haithen!
The fowk at sat i the mirk
hes seen a gryte licht:
for them at sat
i the shaidows o the Laund o Deith
day hes dawed.
FRAE THAT TIME forrit Jesus set tae the preachin: “Repent,” he tauld men, “for the Kíngdom o Heiven is naurhaund.” Ae day he wis traivlin aside the Loch o Galilee, whan he saw twa brithers, Símon, caa’d Peter, an Andro his brither, castin a net intil the loch; for they war fishers tae tredd.
“Come efter me,” qo he til them, “an I s’ mak ye men-fishers”; an strecht they quat their nets an fallowt him.
Gaein on faurer, he saw ither twa brithers, Jeames the son o Zebedee, an his brither John. They war intil their boat, tae, wi their faither Zebedee, beetin their nets; an he caa’d them, an immedentlie they quat the boat an their faither an fallowt him.
SYNE HE GAED round the haill o Galilee, teachin i their meetin-housses, an preachin the Kíngdom, an hailin ilka síckness an ilka complènt amang the fowk. His fame gaed outowre aa Sýria, an aa at wis oniegate ailin wis brocht til him—fowk dreein aa kinkind o ills an pyne, fowk pestit wi ill spírits, fowk afflickit wi the faain-síckness or the pairls—an he hailed them aa; an frae Galilee an the Ten Touns, frae Jerusalem an Judaea an ayont Jordan, muckle thrangs cam an fallowt him about.
5 Seein hou monie there wis o them, he spealed the brae, an whan he hed sitten doun, an his disciples hed gethert about him, he set tae the teachin, an this is what he said tae them:
“Hou happie the puir at is hummle afore God,
for theirs is the Kíngdom o heiven!
Hou happie the dowff an dowie,
for they will be comfortit!
Hou happie the douce an cannie,
for they will faa the yird!
Hou happie them at yaups an thrists for richteousness,
for they will get their sairin!
Hou happie the mercifu,
for they will win mercie!
Hou happie the clean o hairt,
for they will see God!
Hou happie the redders o strow an strife,
for they will be caa’d the childer o God!
Hou happie them at hes dree’d misgydin for richteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the Kíngdom o Heiven!
Hou happie ye, whan they tash an misgyde ye an say aathing ill o ye, líein on ye, for my sake! Blythe be ye an mirkie, for gryte is the rewaird bidin ye in heiven; it wis een sae they misgydit the Prophets afore ye.
“Ye ar the saut o the warld. But gin the saut gaes saurless, what will gíe it back its tang? There is nocht adae wi it mair but cast it outbye for fowk tae patter wi their feet.
“Ye ar the licht o the warld. A toun biggit on a hill-tap canna be hoddit; an again, whan fowk licht a lamp, they pit-it-na ablò a meal-bassie, but set it up on the dresser-heid, an syne it gíes licht for aabodie i the houss. See at your licht shínes that gate afore the warld, sae at aabodie may see your guid deeds an ruise your Faither in heiven!
“Trewna I am come tae abolish the Law an the Prophets: I haena come tae abolish them, but tae perfyte them. Atweill, I tell ye, as lang as heiven an yird bides, 27no the smaaest scart o ink or scrape o the pen will be strucken frae the Law, or aathing at maun be hes come tae pass. Onie-ane, than, at braks ane o thir commaunds, be it the least o them, an lairns ithers tae dae the like, will be the least thocht-on i the Kíngdom