1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar??ontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness;
3 and he came into all the region of the Jordan, preaching the immersion of repentance unto remission of sins;
4 as it has been written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight His paths.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
7 He was saying, therefore, to the multitudes coming forth to be immersed by him, "Broods of vipers! who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Produce, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance; and begin not to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I say to you, that God is able out of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
9 And already the axe also is lying at the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, not producing good fruit, is cut down, and cast into the fire."
11 And he, answering, said to them, "Let him who has two coats share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise."
12 And there came also tax-collectors to be immersed, and they said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"
14 And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, "And what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do violence to no one, neither accuse any one falsely, and be content with your wages."
15 And, as the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he himself were the Christ,
16 John answered, saying to them all, "I, indeed, immerse you in water; but He is coming, Who is mightier than I??he latchet of Whose sandals I am not worthy to loose??e will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and in fire;
17 Whose fan is in His hand, thoroughly to cleanse His threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into His granary; but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire."
18 Therefore, indeed, exhorting them as to many and various things, he was proclaiming the good news to the people;
19 but Herod, the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias, the wife of his brother, and concerning all the evils which Herod did,
20 added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were immersed, that as Jesus also was immersed, and was praying, Heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form, as a dove; and a voice came out of Heaven, "Thou art My Son, the Beloved, in Whom I delighted."
23 And Jesus Himself, when beginning His ministry, was about thirty years old, being, as was supposed, the Son 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 Cosam, 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, the son of Levi,
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 Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, 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 Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, 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 Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.