⁷ Therefore John was saying to the crowds that came out to be immersed by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance; and don’t even begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’! For I tell you that from these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees, so every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!”

¹⁰ The crowds were asking him, “What should we do?”

¹¹ He answered them, saying, “Whoever has two coats, let him give to the one who has none; and whoever has food, let him do the same.”^[a]

¹² Tax collectors also came to him to be immersed. “Teacher,” they said to him, “what should we do?”

¹³ He said to them, “Do not take more than you are supposed to.”

¹⁴ Also soldiers asked him, saying, “And what should we do?”

He said to them, “Do not take things from anyone by force, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be content with your wages.”^[b]