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.”

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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

All the Tribes Are Guilty

Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire [a](A)family which [b]He brought up from the land of Egypt:

(B)You only have I [c]known among all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will [d](C)punish you for all your wrongdoing.”
Do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?
Does a (D)lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?
Does a young lion [e]growl from his den unless he has captured something?
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no [f]device in it?
Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
If a (E)trumpet is blown in a city, will the people not tremble?
If a (F)disaster occurs in a city, has the Lord not brought it about?
[g]Certainly the Lord [h]God does nothing
Unless He (G)reveals His secret plan
To His servants the prophets.
A (H)lion has roared! Who will not fear?
The (I)Lord God has spoken! (J)Who can do anything but prophesy?

Proclaim on the citadels in (K)Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the (L)mountains of Samaria and see the great panic within her and the (M)oppressions in her midst. 10 But they (N)do not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who (O)store up [i]violence and devastation in their citadels.”

11 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

“An (P)enemy, one surrounding the land,
Will take down your fortifications from you,
And your (Q)citadels will be looted.”

12 This is what the Lord says:

“Just as the shepherd [j](R)snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel living in Samaria be [k]snatched away—
With the (S)corner of a bed and the [l](T)cover of a couch!
13 Hear and (U)testify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord God, the God of armies.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s offenses,
I will also punish the altars of (V)Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut off,
And will fall to the ground.
15 I will also strike the (W)winter house together with the (X)summer house;
The houses of [m](Y)ivory will also perish,
And the (Z)great houses will come to an end,”
Declares the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 3:1 I.e., nation
  2. Amos 3:1 Lit I
  3. Amos 3:2 Or chosen
  4. Amos 3:2 Lit visit
  5. Amos 3:4 Lit give his voice
  6. Amos 3:5 Lit snare
  7. Amos 3:7 Or For
  8. Amos 3:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  9. Amos 3:10 I.e., the plunder from violence
  10. Amos 3:12 Or rescues
  11. Amos 3:12 Or rescued
  12. Amos 3:12 Or headrest; lit damask
  13. Amos 3:15 I.e., ivory inlay

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