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The Messiah’s Herald

¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,^(C1) Herod was tetrarch^(F1) of Galilee,^(C2) his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas^(C1) and Caiaphas,^(C2) God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.^{(C3) 3} He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan,^(C1) proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,^{(C2) 4} as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

⁷ He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers!^(C1) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(C2) 8} Therefore produce fruit^(C1) consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’^(C2) for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(C1)

¹⁰ “What then should we do?” ^(C1) the crowds were asking him.

¹¹ He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”^(C1)

¹² Tax collectors^(C1) also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ^(C2)

¹³ He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

¹⁴ Some soldiers also questioned him, “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.^{(C1) 16} John answered them all,^(C1) “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with^(F1) the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing shovel^(C1) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn,^(C2) but the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”^{(C3) 18} Then, along with many other exhortations, he proclaimed good news to the people. ¹⁹ But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch^(C1) because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the evil things he had done,^{(C2) 20} Herod added this to everything else—he locked up John in prison.^(C1)

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹ When all the people were baptized,^(C1) Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying,^(C2) heaven opened,^{(C3) 22} and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”^(C1)

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

²³ As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old and was thought to be the