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¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiber'i-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturae'a and Trachoni'tis, and Lysa'ni-as tetrarch of Abile'ne,² in the high-priesthood of Annas and Ca'iaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechari'ah in the wilderness;³ and he went into all the region about 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, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare 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 shall be made smooth;⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."⁷ He said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?⁸ Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."¹⁰ And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?"¹¹ And he answered them, "He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"¹³ And he said to them, "Collect no more than is appointed you."¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ,¹⁶ John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."¹⁸ So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Hero'di-as, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,²⁰ added this to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."²³ Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jan'na-i, the son of Joseph,²⁵ the son of Mattathi'as, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Nag'ga-i,²⁶ the son of Ma'ath, the son of Mattathi'as, the son of Sem'e-in, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,²⁷ the son of Jo-an'an, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerub'babel, the son of She-al'ti-el, the son of Neri,²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elma'dam, the son of Er,²⁹ the son of Joshua, the son of Elie'zer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eli'akim,³¹ the son of Me'le-a, the son of Menna, the son of Mat'tatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,³² the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Bo'az, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,³³ the son of Ammin'adab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Re'u, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,³⁶ the son of Ca-i'nan, the son of Arphax'ad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Maha'lale-el, the son of Ca-i'nan,³⁸ the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.