LukeChapter 3

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¹It was the fifteenth year that Tiberius Caesar was ruling. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod was ruler of Galilee. His brother Philip was ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis. And Lysanias was ruler of Abilene. ²Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At that time the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³John went all through the land around the Jordan River. He preached that people should repent and be baptized so their sins would be forgiven. ⁴It was just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of someone calling out in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make straight paths for him. ⁵Every valley will be filled in.
Every mountain and hill will be made low.
The crooked roads will be made straight.
The rough roads will be made smooth. ⁶And all people will see how God saves.'" ⁷Crowds were coming out to be baptized by John. He said to them, "You family of snakes! Who warned you to run from the anger of God that is coming? ⁸So produce fruit that shows you have repented. And don't start saying to yourselves, 'Abraham is our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham out of these stones. ⁹The axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree that does not make good fruit will be cut down. It will be thrown into the fire." ¹⁰The crowds asked him, "Then what should we do?" ¹¹John answered, "If you have two tunics, share with the person who has none. If you have food, do the same." ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" ¹³He answered them, "Don't collect more money than you are told to." ¹⁴Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He said, "Don't take money from people by force. Don't lie about people to get money. Be happy with your pay." ¹⁵The people were waiting and hoping. They were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Messiah. ¹⁶John answered all of them, "I baptize you with water. But someone more powerful than I am will come. I am not good enough even to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷His pitchfork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn. But he will burn up the chaff with a fire that never goes out."a ¹⁸John said many other things like this to urge the people on. And he told them the good news. ¹⁹But John told Herod the ruler that he was wrong. He spoke against him for taking Herodias, his brother's wife. He also spoke against all the other evil things Herod had done. ²⁰So Herod added one more evil thing to all the rest. He locked John up in prison. ²¹One day all the people were being baptized, and Jesus was baptized too. As he was praying, heaven opened. ²²The Holy Spirit came down on him in a body like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love. I am very pleased with you." ²³Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. People thought he was the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.