Luke 3:1-20

NHEB^{(i) 1} Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and 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 Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his roads straight. ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low, and the crooked will be made straight, and the rough ways smooth. ⁶ And all humanity will see the salvation of God.'" ⁷ He said therefore to the crowds who went out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father;' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹ Even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire." ¹⁰ The crowds asked him, "What then must we do?" ¹¹ He answered them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise." ¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?" ¹³ He said to them, "Collect no more than that which is appointed to you." ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?" He said to them, "Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages." ¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ, ¹⁶ John answered them all, "I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire, ¹⁷ whose 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 Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people, ¹⁹ but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, ²⁰ added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.