"In those days came John the
Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. 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. And the same John had his raiment of
camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts
and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the
region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing
their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his
baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to
flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our]
father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up
children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the
trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but
he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to
bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with]
fire: Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he
will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he
will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew
3:1-12)
6 ...For it is by the Spirit of the Counsel of Truth concerning man's ways
that all
7 his iniquities shall be covered, so he may look on the light of life. And by
a holy Spirit for union with his Truth shall he be cleansed from all
8 his injustices. And by an upright and humble Spirit will his sins be
covered; and by humbling his soul toward all that God prescribes
9 his flesh shall be cleansed for sprinkling with purifying waters, and for
sanctifying with cleansing waters. And he shall direct his steps to walk
perfectly
10 in all the ways of God, according to his command regarding the times
appointed for his testimonies. And he shall deviate neither to the right nor
to the left; and he shall not
11 go beyond one of all his words. Then he shall be accepted by an atonement
pleasing before God. And for him this will be for a covenant
12 of Unity everlasting. (Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS) 3.6-12 http://virtualreligion.net/iho/baptism.html)
About the conversion of the proselyte
"Once a person has decided to convert, the proselyte must begin to learn Jewish religion, law and customs and begin to observe them. This teaching process generally takes at least one year, because the prospective convert must experience each of the Jewish holidays; however, the actual amount of study required will vary from person to person (a convert who was raised as a Jew might not need any further education, for example, while another person might need several years).
After the teaching is complete, the proselyte is brought before a Beit Din (rabbinical court) which examines the proselyte and determines whether he or she is ready to become a Jew. If the proselyte passes this oral examination, the rituals of conversion are performed. If the convert is male, he is circumcised (or, if he was already circumcised, a pinprick of blood is drawn for a symbolic circumcision). Both male and female converts are immersed in the mikveh (a ritual bath used for spiritual purification). The convert is given a Jewish name and is then introduced into the Jewish community." (http://www.heartofisrael.net/teachings/rabbi/mikveh.htm)