Luke 3:1-8

English Standard Version

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of ^(A)Tiberius Caesar, ^(B)Pontius Pilate ^(C)being governor of Judea, and ^(D)Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ²during ^(E)the high priesthood of Annas and ^(F)Caiaphas, ^(G)the word of God came to ^(H)John the son of Zechariah in ^(I)the wilderness. ³And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming ^(J)a baptism of repentance ^(K)for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As it is written in ^(L)the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

^(M)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
^(N)‘Prepare the way of the Lord,^[a]
    make his paths straight.
⁵^(O)Every valley shall be filled,
    ^(P)and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
^(Q)and the crooked shall become straight,
    and the rough places shall become level ways,
⁶^(R)and all flesh shall see ^(S)the salvation of God.’”

⁷He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ^(T)“You brood of ^(U)vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(V)the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruits ^(W)in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ^(X)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from ^(Y)these stones to raise up children for Abraham.