3:1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness 3 of Judea proclaiming, 3:2 “Repent, 4 for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3:3 For he is the one about whom Isaiah the prophet had spoken: 5
“The voice 6 of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make 7 his paths straight.’” 8
3:4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. 9 3:5 Then people from Jerusalem, 10 as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him, 3:6 and he was baptizing them 11 in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
3:7 But when he saw many Pharisees 12 and Sadducees 13 coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce fruit 14 that proves your 15 repentance, 3:9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 3:10 Even now the ax is laid at 16 the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
3:11 “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy 17 to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 18 3:12 His winnowing fork 19 is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, 20 but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” 21
3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. 22 3:14 But John 23 tried to prevent 24 him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” 3:15 So Jesus replied 25 to him, “Let it happen now, 26 for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John 27 yielded 28 to him. 3:16 After 29 Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the 30 heavens 31 opened 32 and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove 33 and coming on him. 3:17 And 34 a voice from heaven said, 35 “This is my one dear Son; 36 in him 37 I take great delight.” 38
3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 39 when Pontius Pilate 40 was governor of Judea, and Herod 41 was tetrarch 42 of Galilee, and his brother Philip 43 was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias 44 was tetrarch of Abilene, 3:2 during the high priesthood 45 of Annas and Caiaphas, the word 46 of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 47 3:3 He 48 went into all the region around the Jordan River, 49 preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 50
3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice 51 of one shouting in the wilderness: 52
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 53 his paths straight.
3:5 Every valley will be filled, 54
and every mountain and hill will be brought low,
and the crooked will be made straight,
and the rough ways will be made smooth,
3:6 and all humanity 55 will see the salvation of God.’” 56
3:7 So John 57 said to the crowds 58 that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! 59 Who warned you to flee 60 from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce 61 fruit 62 that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say 63 to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ 64 For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 65 3:9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, 66 and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be 67 cut down and thrown into the fire.”
3:10 So 68 the crowds were asking 69 him, “What then should we do?” 3:11 John 70 answered them, 71 “The person who has two tunics 72 must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 3:12 Tax collectors 73 also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 3:13 He told them, “Collect no more 74 than you are required to.” 75 3:14 Then some soldiers 76 also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” 77 He told them, “Take money from no one by violence 78 or by false accusation, 79 and be content with your pay.”
3:15 While the people were filled with anticipation 80 and they all wondered 81 whether perhaps John 82 could be the Christ, 83 3:16 John answered them all, 84 “I baptize you with water, 85 but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy 86 to untie the strap 87 of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 88 3:17 His winnowing fork 89 is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, 90 but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” 91
3:18 And in this way, 92 with many other exhortations, John 93 proclaimed good news to the people. 3:19 But when John rebuked Herod 94 the tetrarch 95 because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, 96 and because of all the evil deeds 97 that he had done, 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.
3:21 Now when 98 all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, 99 the heavens 100 opened, 3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. 101 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; 102 in you I take great delight.” 103
3:23 So 104 Jesus, when he began his ministry, 105 was about thirty years old. He was 106 the son (as was supposed) 107 of Joseph, the son 108 of Heli, 3:24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 3:25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 3:26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 3:27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, 109 the son of Shealtiel, 110 the son of Neri, 111 3:28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 3:29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 3:30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 3:31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, 112 the son of David, 113 3:32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, 114 the son of Nahshon, 3:33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, 115 the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 3:34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, 116 the son of Nahor, 3:35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 3:36 the son of Cainan, 117 the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 3:37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, 118 the son of Kenan, 119 3:38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. 120
1:19 Now 121 this was 122 John’s 123 testimony 124 when the Jewish leaders 125 sent 126 priests and Levites from Jerusalem 127 to ask him, “Who are you?” 128 1:20 He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!” 129 1:21 So they asked him, “Then who are you? 130 Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” 131 “Are you the Prophet?” 132 He answered, “No!” 1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us 133 so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
1:23 John 134 said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight 135 the way for the Lord,’ 136 as Isaiah the prophet said.” 1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 137 ) 138 1:25 So they asked John, 139 “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, 140 nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
1:26 John answered them, 141 “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, 142 1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy 143 to untie the strap 144 of his sandal!” 1:28 These things happened in Bethany 145 across the Jordan River 146 where John was baptizing.
1:29 On the next day John 147 saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God 148 who takes away the sin of the world! 1:30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, 149 because he existed before me.’ 1:31 I did not recognize 150 him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.” 151
1:32 Then 152 John testified, 153 “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove 154 from heaven, 155 and it remained on him. 156 1:33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining – this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 1:34 I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.” 157
1:35 Again the next day John 158 was standing there 159 with two of his disciples. 1:36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 160