3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 1 when Pontius Pilate 2 was governor of Judea, and Herod 3 was tetrarch 4 of Galilee, and his brother Philip 5 was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias 6 was tetrarch of Abilene, 3:2 during the high priesthood 7 of Annas and Caiaphas, the word 8 of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 9 3:3 He 10 went into all the region around the Jordan River, 11 preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 12
3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice 13 of one shouting in the wilderness: 14
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 15 his paths straight.
3:5 Every valley will be filled, 16
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 17 will see the salvation of God.’” 18
3:7 So John 19 said to the crowds 20 that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! 21 Who warned you to flee 22 from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce 23 fruit 24 that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say 25 to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ 26 For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 27 3:9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, 28 and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be 29 cut down and thrown into the fire.”
3:10 So 30 the crowds were asking 31 him, “What then should we do?” 3:11 John 32 answered them, 33 “The person who has two tunics 34 must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 3:12 Tax collectors 35 also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 3:13 He told them, “Collect no more 36 than you are required to.” 37 3:14 Then some soldiers 38 also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” 39 He told them, “Take money from no one by violence 40 or by false accusation, 41 and be content with your pay.”
3:15 While the people were filled with anticipation 42 and they all wondered 43 whether perhaps John 44 could be the Christ, 45 3:16 John answered them all, 46 “I baptize you with water, 47 but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy 48 to untie the strap 49 of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 50 3:17 His winnowing fork 51 is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, 52 but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” 53
3:18 And in this way, 54 with many other exhortations, John 55 proclaimed good news to the people. 3:19 But when John rebuked Herod 56 the tetrarch 57 because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, 58 and because of all the evil deeds 59 that he had done, 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.
3:21 Now when 60 all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, 61 the heavens 62 opened, 3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. 63 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; 64 in you I take great delight.” 65