Markus 1:4

1:4 In the wilderness ¹  John the baptizer ²  began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ³ 

Markus 1:15

1:15 He ⁴  said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God ⁵  is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

[1:4]  ¹ tn Or “desert.”

[1:4]  ² tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “[the] Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).

[1:4]  ³ sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it.

[1:15]  ⁴ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:15]  ⁵ sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.