Luke 3:1-20

Wesley^{(i) 1} Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² Annas being the high priest and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. ³ And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance, for the remission of sins: ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness, Prepare ye 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 smooth: And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ⁶ Then said he to the multitudes, ⁷ that came forth to be baptized of him, Ye brood of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance; and say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ And now also the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹⁰ And the multitude asked him, saying, What then shall we do? He answering saith to them, ¹¹ He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. ¹² And publicans also came to be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do? ¹³ And he said to them, Exact no more than what is appointed you. ¹⁴ And the soldiers likewise asked him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your pay. ¹⁵ And as the people were in expectation, and all mused in their hearts of John, ¹⁶ whether he were not the Christ, John answered saying to them all, I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: ¹⁷ Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. ¹⁸ And many other things in his exhortation preached he to the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch being reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and concerning all the evils which Herod had done, Added also this above all, ²⁰ that he shut up John in prison.