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¹ In the fifteenth year of the emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod tetrarch of Gallilee: Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis: and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene: ² under the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas, JOHN, the son of Zacharias, received his divine commission in the wilderness. ³ in pursuance of which, he went into all the country about Jordan, exhorting all to repent and be baptized, in order to obtain the remission of their sins. ⁴ as it is written in the book of the prophecies of Esaias , "the voice of one crying in the desart, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths clear. ⁵ every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be level'd: the crooked shall be made strait, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, ⁶ and all men shall behold the divine saviour." ⁷ he said therefore to the people that crowded to be baptized by him, ye brood of vipers, who has prompted you to flee from approaching wrath? ⁸ let your actions therefore show your repentance, and don't pretend to say within yourselves, "we have Abraham for our father:" for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ the ax is already laid to the root of the trees: every tree then, which does not produce good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹⁰ Upon which the people asked him, what then shall we do? ¹¹ he answer'd them, let him that hath two coats give one to him that hath none; and let him that has plenty of provisions act in like manner. ¹² the Publicans likewise came to be baptized, and said to him, master, how are we to act? ¹³ exact, said he, no more than what the law requires. ¹⁴ the soldiers too made the same demand, how are we to act? he answer'd them, injure no man either by violence or by fraud, and be content with your pay.

¹⁵ As the people were in suspence, every man imagining in his own mind that John might be the Messiah; ¹⁶ he address'd himself to them all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water; but there is one coming, who is superiour to me, whose shoes I am unworthy to untie: he shall baptize you with the holy spirit, under the appearance of fire. ¹⁷ and with the fan in his hand he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and will lay up the wheat in his grainery: but the chaff he will burn with inextinguishable fire. ¹⁸ many other things he delivered to the people in his exhortations. ¹⁹ but having reproved Herod the tetrarch upon account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and for all the mischiefs that Herod had done; ²⁰ to compleat all the rest, Herod confin'd John in prison.

²¹ When all the people were baptizing, Jesus was likewise baptized, and whilst he was praying, the clouds opened, ²² and the holy spirit descended upon him in a corporeal form like a dove. and a voice came from heaven, which said, thou art my beloved son, in thee I am well pleased. ²³ Jesus was then about thirty years of age, being, as was suppos'd, the son of Joseph, ²⁴ son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Janna, son of Joseph, ²⁵ son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Naum, son of Esli, son of Nagge, ²⁶ son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semi, son of Joseph, son of Juda, son of Joanna, ²⁷ son of Rhesa, son of Zorobabel, son of Salathiel, ²⁸ son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmodam, son of Er, ²⁹ son of Jose, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Simeon, ³⁰ son of Juda, son of Joseph, son of Jonan, son of Eliakim, ³¹ son of Melea, son of Menan, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, ³² son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Booz, son of Salmon, ³³ son of Naasson, son of Aminadab, son of Aram, son of Esrom, son of Phares, son of Juda, ³⁴ son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Thara, son of Nachor, son of Saruch, ³⁵ son of Ragau, son of Phalec, son of Heber, son of Sala, ³⁶ son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Sem, son of Noe, son of Lamech, son of Mathusala, ³⁷ son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Maleleel, ³⁸ son of Cainan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, the son of God.