1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, Philip his brother tetrarch of the country of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert;
3 and he went into all the Jordan-district preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins ??4 as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah, The voice of one who cries in the desert, 'Make the way ready for the Lord, level the paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled up, every hill and mound laid low, the crooked made straight, the rough roads smooth;
6 so shall all flesh see the saving power of God.'
7 To the crowds who came out to get baptized by him John said, "You brood of vipers, who told you to flee from the coming Wrath?
8 Now, produce fruits that answer to your repentance, instead of beginning to say to yourselves, 'We have a father in Abraham.' I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
9 The axe is lying all ready at the root of the trees; any tree that is not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
11 He replied, "Let everyone who possesses two shirts share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise."
12 Taxgatherers also came to get baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what are we to do?"
14 Soldiers also asked him, "And what are we to do?" He said to them, "Never extort money, never lay a false charge, but be content with your pay."
15 Now as people's expectations were roused and as everybody thought to himself about John, "Can he be the Christ,"
16 John said to them all, "I baptize you with water, but after me one who is mightier will come, and I am not fit to untie the string of his sandals; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing-fan is in his hand to purge his threshing-floor, to gather the wheat into his granary and burn the straw with fire unquenchable."
18 Thus with many another appeal he spoke his message to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife as well as for all the wickedness that he, Herod, had committed,
20 crowned all by shutting John up in prison.
21 Now when all the people had been baptized and when Jesus had been baptized and was praying, heaven opened
22 and the holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my son, the Beloved, to-day have I become thy father."
23 At the outset Jesus was about thirty years of age; he was the son, as people supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Kosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
30 the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jessai, the son of Jobed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Aminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nachor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Sala,
36 the son of Kainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Maleleel, the son of Kainan,
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.