Luke 3:1-20

Whiston^{(i) 1} Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, Pontius Pilate being procurator of Judea, and Herod [being tetrarch of Galilee].and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea, and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, ² under the high priest Annas; and Caiphas, the word of God was unto John, the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³ And he came in to 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 Esaias the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make your 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 the Lord. ⁷ But he said to the multitude that came forth to be baptized before him, ye brood of vipers, who hath [s]hewed you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within your selves, We have Abraham for [our] father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise children unto Abraham. ⁹ But the ax is already laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruits, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹⁰ And the multitudes asked him, saying, What therefore shall we do, that we may be saved? ¹¹ He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. ¹² But the publican, came in like manner to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do, that we may be saved? ¹³ But he said unto them, Exact no more than what is appointed you to exact. ¹⁴ And the soldiers also demanded saying, What shall we do that we may be saved?But he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse falsly, and be content with your allowances. ¹⁵ And as the people were in expectation, and all mused in their hearts of John, whether he were not the Christ, ¹⁶ He knowing their thoughts said, I baptize you unto repentance in water; but he that cometh is mightier than I, the latchet of his shoe I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire. ¹⁷ Whose fan [is] in his hand[,] and he will throughly purge the floor, and will indeed gather the wheat into the garner;but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenched. ¹⁸ Many other things indeed therefore in [his] admonition preached he also unto the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brothers wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, ²⁰ Added also this above all, that he shut up John in prison.