Luke 3

¹In [the] fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, [while] Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

²during [the] high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, [the] word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

³He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for [the] forgiveness of sins,

⁴as it is written in [the] book of [the] words of Isaiah [the] prophet: “[A] voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for [the] Lord, make straight paths for Him.

⁵Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked [ways] shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth.

⁶And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’”

⁷Then [John] said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

⁸Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And {do} not begin to say to yourselves,‘ We have Abraham [as our] father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

⁹The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into [the] fire.”

¹⁰The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”

¹¹[John] replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

¹³“Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered.

¹⁴Then [some] soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”“Do not take money by force or false accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.”

¹⁵The people were waiting expectantly and {were} all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.

¹⁶John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but [One] more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with [the] Holy Spirit and with fire.

¹⁷[His] winnowing fork [is] in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸[With these and] many other exhortations, [John] proclaimed the good news to the people.

¹⁹But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all [the] evils [he] had done,

²⁰[Herod] added this to them all: He locked John {up} in prison.

²¹When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened,

²²and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

²³Jesus Himself was about thirty years [old] when He began [His ministry]. He was regarded as [the] son of Joseph, the [son] of Heli,

²⁴the [son] of Matthat, the [son] of Levi, the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of Jannai, the [son] of Joseph,

²⁵the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Amos, the [son] of Nahum, the [son] of Esli, the [son] of Naggai,

²⁶the [son] of Maath, the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Semein, the [son] of Josech, the [son] of Joda,

²⁷the [son] of Joanan, the [son] of Rhesa, the [son] of Zerubbabel, the [son] of Shealtiel, the [son] of Neri,

²⁸the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of Addi, the [son] of Cosam, the [son] of Elmadam, the [son] of Er,

²⁹the [son] of Joshua, the [son] of Eliezer, the [son] of Jorim, the [son] of Matthat, the [son] of Levi,

³⁰the [son] of Simeon, the [son] of Judah, the [son] of Joseph, the [son] of Jonam, the [son] of Eliakim,

³¹the [son] of Melea, the [son] of Menna, the [son] of Mattatha, the [son] of Nathan, the [son] of David,

³²the [son] of Jesse, the [son] of Obed, the [son] of Boaz, the [son] of Sala, the [son] of Nahshon,

³³the [son] of Amminadab, the [son] of Admin, the [son] of Arni, the [son] of Hezron, the [son] of Perez, the [son] of Judah,

³⁴the [son] of Jacob, the [son] of Isaac, the [son] of Abraham, the [son] of Terah, the [son] of Nahor,

³⁵the [son] of Serug, the [son] of Reu, the [son] of Peleg, the [son] of Eber, the [son] of Shelah,

³⁶the [son] of Cainan, the [son] of Arphaxad, the [son] of Shem, the [son] of Noah, the [son] of Lamech,

³⁷the [son] of Methuselah, the [son] of Enoch, the [son] of Jared, the [son] of Mahalalel, the [son] of Cainan,

³⁸the [son] of Enosh, the [son] of Seth, the [son] of Adam, the [son] of God.