- 1
- In the fifteenth year of the
reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod
tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis,
and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene--
- 2
- during the high priesthood of
Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the
desert.
- 3
- He went into all the country
around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins.
- 4
- As is written in the book of
the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert,
`Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
- 5
- Every valley shall be filled
in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become
straight, the rough ways smooth.
- 6
- And all mankind will see God's
salvation.'"
- 7
- 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?
- 8
- Produce fruit 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.
- 9
- The axe is already at the root
of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut
down and thrown into the fire."
- 10
- "What should we do
then?" the crowd asked.
- 11
- John answered, "The man
with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food
should do the same."
- 12
- Tax collectors also came to be
baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"
- 13
- "Don't collect any more
than you are required to," he told them.
- 14
- Then some soldiers asked him,
"And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and
don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay."
- 15
- The people were waiting
expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be
the Christ.
- 16
- John answered them all,
"I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the
thongs 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
- And with many other words John
exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
- 19
- But when John rebuked Herod
the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil
things he had done,
- 20
- Herod added this to them all:
He locked John up in prison.
- 21
- When all the people were being
baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened
- 22
- and the Holy Spirit descended
on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You
are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
- 23
- Now Jesus himself was about
thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was
thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
- 24
- the son of Matthat, the son of
Levi, the son of Melki, 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 Melki, the son of
Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
- 29
- the son of Joshua, the son of
Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
- 30
- the son of Simeon, the son of
Judah, 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 Ram, 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 Mahalalel, the son of Kenan,
- 38
- the son of Enosh, the son of
Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
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