3 ¶ Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

² Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came upon John the son of Zachariah in the wilderness.

³ And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.

⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

⁶ and all flesh shall see the saving health of God.

⁷ Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who taught you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

⁹ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree therefore which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

¹⁰ And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

¹¹ He answered and said unto them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and he that has food, let him do likewise.

¹² Then the publicans also came to be baptized and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

¹³ And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

¹⁴ And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Oppress no one, neither accuse anyone falsely; and be content with your wages.

¹⁵ ¶ And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not,

¹⁶ John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you in water, but one mightier than I comes, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire;

¹⁷ whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor and will gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

¹⁸ And exhorting many other things he announced the gospel unto the people.

¹⁹ Then Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife and for all the evils which Herod had done,

²⁰ added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

²¹ ¶ Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that, Jesus also being baptized and praying, the heaven was opened,

²² and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee is my delight.

²³ And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,

²⁴ who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, who was the son of Joseph,

²⁵ who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Naum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Nagge,

²⁶ who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semei, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Juda,

²⁷ who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zorobabel, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of Neri,

²⁸ who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son of Er,

²⁹ who was the son of Joshua, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Jorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,

³⁰ who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Juda, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim,

³¹ who was the son of Melea, who was the son of Menan, who was the son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,

³² who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Booz, {Greek word for “Boaz”} who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Naasson,

³³ who was the son of Aminadab, who was the son of Aram, who was the son of Esrom, who was the son of Phares, who was the son of Juda,

³⁴ who was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, who was the son of Thara, who was the son of Nachor,

³⁵ who was the son of Saruch, who was the son of Ragau, who was the son of Peleg, who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Sala,

³⁶ who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Shem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech,

³⁷ who was the son of Mathusala, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Maleleel, who was the son of Cainan,

³⁸ who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.