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The Preaching of John the Baptist

¹ Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when ^(C1)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and ^(C2)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,² during the high priesthood of ^(C1)Annas and ^(C2)Caiaphas, ^(C3)the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.³ And he came into all ^(C1)the district around 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,

"^(C1)THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE ^(F1)LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.

⁵ '^(C1)EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,
AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE ^(F1)BROUGHT LOW;
THE CROOKED WILL BE STRAIGHT,
AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH.

^6 (C1)AND ALL ^(F1)FLESH WILL ^(C2)SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.'"

⁷ So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "^(C1)You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?⁸ "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and ^(C1)do not begin to say ^(F1)to yourselves, '^(C2)We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.⁹ "But indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, ^(C1)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

¹⁰ And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "^(C1)Then what should we do?"¹¹ And he would answer and say to them, "The man who has two ^(F1)tunics is to ^(C1)share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise."¹² And ^(C1)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"¹³ And he said to them, "^(F1)Collect no more than what you have been ordered to."¹⁴ And soldiers were also questioning him, saying, "What should we also do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or ^(C1)extort anyone, and ^(C2)be content with your wages."

¹⁵ Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, ^(C1)as to whether he was the ^(F1)Christ,^16 (C1)John answered, saying to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.¹⁷ "His ^(C1)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with ^(C2)unquenchable fire."

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the gospel to the people.¹⁹ But when ^(C1)Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him because of ^(C1)Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the wicked things which ^(C2)Herod had done,²⁰ Herod also added this to them all: ^(C1)he locked John up in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

^21 (C1)Now it happened that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was ^(C2)praying, heaven was opened,²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "^(C1)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."

The Genealogy of Jesus

^23 (C1)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, ^(F1)as was supposed, the son of ^(C2)Joseph, ^(F2)the son of ^(F3)Eli,²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of ^(F1)Hesli, the son of Naggai,²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, ^(C1)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of ^(F1)Shealtiel, the son of Neri,²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,²⁹ the son of ^(F1)Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of ^(F1)Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,^32 (C1)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of ^(F1)Salmon, the son of ^(F2)Nahshon,³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of ^(F1)Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, ^(C1)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of ^(F1)Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of ^(F2)Heber, the son of Shelah,³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, ^(C1)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.