John the Baptist Preaches

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when (A)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and (B)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of (C)Annas and (D)Caiaphas, (E)the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he came into all (F)the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance [a]for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

(G)The voice of one calling [b]out in the wilderness,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!
(H)Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be lowered;
The crooked will become straight,
And the rough roads smooth;
(I)And all [c]flesh will (J)see the salvation of God!’”

So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “(K)You [d]offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore produce fruits that are consistent with repentance, and (L)do not start saying [e]to yourselves, ‘(M)We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham. But indeed the axe is already being laid at the root of the trees; so (N)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “(O)Then what are we to do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The one who has two [f]tunics is to (P)share with the one who has none; and the one who has food is to do likewise.” 12 Now even (Q)tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13 And he said to them, “[g]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor [h](R)harass anyone, and (S)be content with your wages.”

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, (T)whether he himself perhaps was the [i]Christ, 16 (U)John responded to them all, saying, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you [j]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His (V)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with (W)unquenchable fire.”

18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. 19 But when (X)Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him regarding (Y)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and regarding all the evil things which (Z)Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: (AA)he locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

21 (AB)Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while He was (AC)praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “(AD)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

23 (AE)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of (AF)Joseph, [k]the son of [l]Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of [m]Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, (AG)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of [n]Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of [o]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of [p]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 (AH)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of [q]Salmon, the son of [r]Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of [s]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, (AI)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of [t]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of [u]Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, (AJ)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:3 Or with reference to
  2. Luke 3:4 Or out, Prepare in the wilderness the way
  3. Luke 3:6 I.e., mankind
  4. Luke 3:7 Or brood
  5. Luke 3:8 Or among
  6. Luke 3:11 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  7. Luke 3:13 Lit Do
  8. Luke 3:14 Or blackmail
  9. Luke 3:15 I.e., Messiah
  10. Luke 3:16 The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by
  11. Luke 3:23 Lit of Eli, and so throughout the genealogy
  12. Luke 3:23 Also spelled Heli
  13. Luke 3:25 Also spelled Esli
  14. Luke 3:27 Gr Salathiel; names of people in the Old Testament are given in their Old Testament form through v 38
  15. Luke 3:29 Gr Jesus
  16. Luke 3:30 Gr Judas
  17. Luke 3:32 Gr Sala
  18. Luke 3:32 Gr Naasson
  19. Luke 3:33 Gr Arni
  20. Luke 3:35 Gr Ragau
  21. Luke 3:35 Gr Eber

John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, and Annas and Caiaphas high priests, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. John[a] went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare the way for the Lord![b] Make his paths straight!
Every valley will be filled,
    and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked ways will be made straight,
    and the rough roads will be made smooth.
Everyone[c] will see the salvation
    that God has provided.’”[d]

John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”

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

11 He answered them, “The person who has two coats must share with the one who doesn’t have any, and the person who has food must do the same.”

12 Even some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

13 He told them, “Stop collecting more money than the amount you are told to collect.”

14 Even some soldiers were asking him, “And what should we do?”

He told them, “Never extort money from anyone by threats or blackmail, and be satisfied with your pay.”

15 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah.[e] 16 John replied to all of them, “I’m baptizing you with[f] water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I’m not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with[g] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He’ll gather the grain into his barn, but he’ll burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”

18 With many other exhortations John[h] continued to proclaim the good news to the people. 19 Now Herod the tetrarch had been rebuked by John[i] because he had married[j] his brother’s wife Herodias and because of all of the other evil things Herod had done. 20 Added to all this, Herod[k] locked John up in prison.

Jesus is Baptized(B)

21 When all the people had been baptized, Jesus, too, was baptized. While he was praying, heaven opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him, appearing in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying,[l] “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!”[m]

The Ancestry of Jesus(C)

23 Jesus himself was about 30 years old when he began his ministry.[n] He was (as legally calculated)[o] the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,[p] the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, 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 Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon,[q] the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, 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 Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan,[r] the son of Arphaxad, 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 Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:3 Lit. He
  2. Luke 3:4 Cf. Isa 40:3; MT source citation reads Lord
  3. Luke 3:6 Lit. All flesh
  4. Luke 3:6 Isa 40:3-5
  5. Luke 3:15 Or Christ
  6. Luke 3:16 Or in
  7. Luke 3:16 Or in
  8. Luke 3:18 Lit. he
  9. Luke 3:19 Lit. him
  10. Luke 3:19 Lit. because of
  11. Luke 3:20 Lit. he
  12. Luke 3:22 The Gk. lacks saying
  13. Luke 3:22 Other mss. read You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.
  14. Luke 3:23 The Gk. lacks his ministry
  15. Luke 3:23 I.e. in conformity to genealogy reckonings then in effect; or (so it was thought)
  16. Luke 3:27 Or Shealtiel; cf. 1Chr 3:17; Ezra 3:2,8; 5:2; Neh 12:1; Matt 1:12
  17. Luke 3:32 Other mss. read Sala
  18. Luke 3:36 The inclusion of Cainan here follows the LXX; cf. Gen 10:4,24; 11:12-13; 1Chron 1:7