RKJNT(i)
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 When Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3 And he went into all the country about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 Then he said to the multitude that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.
9 Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, What shall we do then?
11 He answered and said to them, He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.
12 Then tax gatherers also came to be baptized, and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?
13 And he said to them, Collect no more than you have been ordered to.
14 And the soldiers likewise questioned him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do not extort money from anyone or accuse anyone falsely; and be content with your wages.
15 And as the people were expectant, and wondering in their hearts if John was the Christ,
16 John answered, saying to them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire:
17 Whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
18 And in his exhortation he preached many other things to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, having been reproved by him because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and because of all the evils which Herod had done,
20 Added this to them all: he shut John up in prison.