Luke 3:7-18

Contemporary English Version

⁷^(A) Crowds of people came out to be baptized, but John said to them, “You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? ⁸^(B) Do something to show that you really have given up your sins. Don't start saying you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham.^[a] ⁹^(C) An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”

¹⁰The crowds asked John, “What should we do?”

¹¹John told them, “If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else.”

¹²^(D) When tax collectors^[b] came to be baptized, they asked John, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³John told them, “Don't make people pay more than they owe.”

¹⁴Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us? What do we have to do?”

John told them, “Don't force people to pay money to make you leave them alone. Be satisfied with your pay.”

¹⁵Everyone became excited and wondered, “Could John be the Messiah?”

¹⁶John said, “I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.^[c] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷His threshing fork^[d] is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in his barn and burn the husks with a fire that never goes out.”

¹⁸In many different ways John preached the good news to the people.

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Footnotes

3.8 children for Abraham: The Jewish people thought they were God's chosen people because of God's promises to their ancestor Abraham.
3.12 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion.
3.16 untie his sandals: This was the duty of a slave.
3.17 threshing fork: After Jewish farmers had trampled out the grain, they used a large fork to pitch the grain and the husks into the air. Wind would blow away the light husks, and the grain would fall back to the ground, where it could be gathered up.

Luke 3:7-18

New International Version

⁷John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!^(A) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^(B) ⁸Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(C) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(D)

¹⁰“What should we do then?”^(E) the crowd asked.

¹¹John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”^(F)

¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized.^(G) “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

¹³“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”^(H) he told them.

¹⁴Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely^(I)—be content with your pay.”

¹⁵The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John^(J) might possibly be the Messiah.^(K) ¹⁶John answered them all, “I baptize you with^[a] water.^(L) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.^(M) ¹⁷His winnowing fork^(N) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(O) ¹⁸And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.