Luke 3
Expanded Bible
The Preaching of John(A)
3 It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar [C the Roman emperor, ad 14–37]. ·These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate, [L …when Pontius Pilate was] the ·ruler [or governor; C his official title was “prefect”; Pilate governed from ad 26–36] of Judea; Herod [C Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great], the ·ruler [L tetrarch; C the title meant “ruler of a fourth,” but came to be used of any minor ruler] of Galilee; Philip [C another son of Herod the Great], the ·ruler [L tetrarch] of Iturea and Traconitis; and Lysanias, the ·ruler [L tetrarch] of Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests [C Annas was the former high priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas, the official high priest]. At this time, ·the word of [a message from] God came to John son of Zechariah in the ·desert [wilderness]. 3 He went all over the ·area [country; region] around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [repentance] for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the ·book of [L book of the words/oracles of] Isaiah the prophet:
“This is a voice of one
who ·calls out [shouts; cries out] in the ·desert [wilderness]:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for him.
5 Every ·valley [ravine; wadi] should be filled in,
and every mountain and hill should be made ·flat [level; low].
·Roads with turns [L Curved/T Crooked places] should be made straight,
and rough ·roads [paths; ways] should be made smooth.
6 And all ·people [humanity; T flesh] will ·know about [L see] the salvation of God [Is. 40:3–5]!’”
7 [L So; Therefore] To the crowds of people who came to be baptized by John, he said, “You ·are all snakes [T brood/offspring of vipers]! Who warned you to ·run [slither; L flee] away from God’s coming ·punishment [wrath; retribution]? 8 ·Do the things [L Produce the fruit] ·that show you really have changed your hearts and lives [that prove your repentance; L of repentance]. Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father [C a claim to be God’s special people, since their ancestor Abraham was chosen and blessed by God; Gen. 12:1–3].’ [L For] I tell you that God could ·make [L raise up] children for Abraham from these rocks. 9 The ax ·is now ready to cut down [L already lies at the root of] the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire [C a metaphor for judgment against those who disobey God].”
10 The ·people [crowd] asked John, “Then what should we do?”
11 John answered, “If you have two ·shirts [tunics], share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that also [Is. 58:7].”
12 Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized [C tax collectors were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion]. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 John said to them, “Don’t take more taxes from people than ·you have been ordered to take [is prescribed/authorized].”
14 The soldiers asked John, “What about us? What should we do?”
John said to them, “Don’t ·force people to give you [extort] money, and don’t ·lie about them [make false accusations]. Be satisfied with the pay you get.”
15 Since the people were ·hoping [waiting expectantly] for the ·Christ [Messiah] to come, they [L all] wondered if John might be the ·one [L Christ; Messiah].
16 John answered everyone, “I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is ·greater [more powerful; mightier] than I am. I am not ·good enough [fit; qualified] to untie [L the thong/strap of] his sandals [C a task of a servant or slave]. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 ·He will come ready [L The winnowing fork is in his hand] to ·clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff [L clear his threshing floor]. He will put ·the good part of the grain [L the grain/wheat] into his ·barn [storehouse], but he will burn the chaff with ·a fire that cannot be put out [never-ending/unquenchable fire; C a metaphor for judgment, when Jesus will separate the righteous from the wicked].” 18 And John continued to preach the ·Good News [Gospel], saying many other things to ·encourage [exhort] the people.
19 But John ·spoke against [criticized; rebuked] Herod [C Antipas], the ·governor [L tetrarch; 3:1], ·because of his sin with [L concerning] Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother [C Herod had divorced his wife and illicitly married the wife of his brother Philip; Lev. 18:16], and because of the many other evil things Herod did. 20 So Herod ·did something even worse [L added this to all his sins]: He ·put [locked; shut up] John in prison.
Jesus Is Baptized by John(B)
21 When all the people were being baptized by John, Jesus also was baptized. [L And] While Jesus was praying, heaven opened 22 and the Holy Spirit came down on him in ·the form of [L bodily appearance like] a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; Gen. 22:2; Ps. 2:7], ·and I am very pleased with you [in whom I take great delight [Is. 42:1].”
The Family History of Jesus(C)
23 When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years old. People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son [C they were unaware of the virginal conception].
Joseph was the son of Heli [C “son” in Hebrew can mean “descendant,” so there may be gaps in the genealogy].
24 Heli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Jannai.
Jannai was the son of Joseph.
25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Amos.
Amos was the son of Nahum.
Nahum was the son of Esli.
Esli was the son of Naggai.
26 Naggai was the son of Maath.
Maath was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Semein.
Semein was the son of Josech.
Josech was the son of Joda.
27 Joda was the son of Joanan.
Joanan was the son of Rhesa.
Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the son of Neri.
28 Neri was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Addi.
Addi was the son of Cosam.
Cosam was the son of Elmadam.
Elmadam was the son of Er.
29 Er was the son of Joshua.
Joshua was the son of Eliezer.
Eliezer was the son of Jorim.
Jorim was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
30 Levi was the son of Simeon.
Simeon was the son of Judah.
Judah was the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jonam.
Jonam was the son of Eliakim.
31 Eliakim was the son of Melea.
Melea was the son of Menna.
Menna was the son of Mattatha.
Mattatha was the son of Nathan.
Nathan was the son of David.
32 David was the son of Jesse.
Jesse was the son of Obed.
Obed was the son of Boaz.
Boaz was the son of Salmon.[a]
Salmon was the son of Nahshon.
33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni.[b]
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.
34 Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor.
35 Nahor was the son of Serug.
Serug was the son of Reu.
Reu was the son of Peleg.
Peleg was the son of Eber.
Eber was the son of Shelah.
36 Shelah was the son of Cainan.
Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem.
Shem was the son of Noah.
Noah was the son of Lamech.
37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the son of Enoch.
Enoch was the son of Jared.
Jared was the son of Mahalalel.
Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.
38 Kenan was the son of Enosh.
Enosh was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.
路 加 福 音 3
Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version
约翰为耶稣铺路
3 凯撒提庇留在位的第十五年，本丢彼拉多作了犹太总督、希律被分封为加利利的王，希律的兄弟腓力被分封为以土利亚和特拉可尼的王，吕撒聂被分封为亚比利尼的王。
2 亚那和该亚法是大祭司。那时，在人烟稀少的荒野里，撒迦利亚的儿子约翰听到了上帝的召唤， 3 走遍了约旦河一带，向人们传道。他告诉人们受洗来表示他们想改变自己的生活，他们的罪孽就会得到宽恕。 4 这正如先知以赛亚书中所记载的那样：
“旷野里有个呼唤着的人，
‘为主准备好道路。
修直他的路。
5 所有的山洼都要被填满，
大小山冈都将被削平；
弯曲的地方将被修直，
崎岖的道路要被铺平；
6 全人类都将看到上帝的拯救。’”
7 人们都来接受约翰的洗礼，但是约翰对人群说∶“你们这些毒蛇，谁警告过你们去逃避即将来临的上帝的审判呢？ 8 改变你们的内心吧！通过你们的生活方式来显示你们已经改变了。 我知道你们要说：‘但是，亚伯拉罕是我们的祖先！’这毫无意义。我告诉你们，上帝可以让这些石头都变成亚伯拉罕的子孙！ 9 现在砍树的斧头已经准备好了，每棵不结好果子的树 [a]都将被砍倒，扔到火里。”
10 人们问约翰∶“那么我们该怎么办呢？”
11 约翰答道∶“有两件大衣的人应该分一件给没有的人；有食物的人也应该这样做。”
12 一些税吏也来要求约翰给他们洗礼，他们问道∶“老师，我们该怎么办呢？”
13 约翰对他们说∶“不要收取法定以外的税金。”
14 一些士兵也问他∶“我们该怎么做呢？”
约翰又对他们说∶“不要用暴力索取金钱，不要用伪证控告别人，对发给你们的钱粮要知足。”
15 所有的人都期待着基督的到来，他们都琢磨着约翰，猜想他也许就是基督。
16 于是，约翰解答了人们的疑问∶“我用水给你们施洗礼。但是，不久之后来的那位，他比我更强大，我甚至都不配当给他解鞋带的奴仆。他将用圣灵和火给你们施洗礼。 17 他手里拿着簸谷叉，他将清理谷场，把麦粒收进粮仓，把麦麸用不灭的火烧掉。” 18 就这样，约翰说了很多类似的话来劝导人们，向人们传播福音。
为什么约翰终止工作
19 约翰斥责希律王与兄弟的妻子希罗底之间的关系，还斥责他的其它罪恶行为， 20 希律又罪上加罪，把约翰关进了监狱。
约翰为耶稣施洗礼
21 当所有的人接受约翰洗礼的时候，耶稣也来接受洗礼。当他祈祷时，天敞开了， 22 圣灵仿佛像鸽子的形状，降落在他的身上。一个来自天上的声音说∶“你是我的爱子，你令我非常喜悦。”
约瑟的家史
23 耶稣开始传道时，大约三十岁。人们都认为他是约瑟的儿子。
约瑟是希里的儿子，
24 希里是玛塔的儿子，
玛塔是利未的儿子，
利未是麦基的儿子，
麦基是雅拿的儿子，
雅拿是约瑟的儿子，
25 约瑟是玛他提亚的儿子，
玛他提亚是亚摩斯的儿子，
亚摩斯是拿鸿的儿子，
拿鸿是以斯利的儿子，
以斯利是拿该的儿子，
26 拿该是玛押的儿子，
玛押是玛他提亚的儿子，
玛他提亚是西美的儿子，
西美是约瑟克的儿子，
约瑟是犹大的儿子，
27 犹大是约亚拿的儿子，
约亚拿是利撒的儿子，
利撒是所罗巴伯的儿子，
所罗巴伯是撒拉铁的儿子，
撒拉铁是尼利的儿子，
28 尼利是麦基的儿子，
麦基是亚底的儿子，
亚底是哥桑的儿子，
哥桑是以摩当的儿子，
以摩当是珥的儿子，
29 珥是约细的儿子，
约细是以利以谢的儿子，
以利以谢是约令的儿子，
约令是玛塔的儿子，
玛塔是利未的儿子，
30 利未是西缅的儿子，
西缅是犹大的儿子，
犹大是约瑟的儿子，
约瑟是约南的儿子，
约南是以利亚敬的儿子，
31 以利亚敬是米利亚的儿子，
米利亚是买南的儿子，
买南是玛达他的儿子，
玛达他是拿单的儿子，
拿单是大卫的儿子，
32 大卫是耶西的儿子，
耶西是俄备得的儿子，
俄备得是波阿斯的儿子，
波阿斯是撒门的儿子，
撒门是拿顺的儿子，
33 拿顺是亚米拿达的儿子，
亚米拿达是亚兰的儿子，
亚兰是希斯伦的儿子，
希斯伦是法勒斯的儿子，
法勒斯是犹大的儿子，
34 犹大是雅各的儿子，
雅各是以撒的儿子，
以撒是亚伯拉罕的儿子，
亚伯拉罕是他拉的儿子，
他拉是拿鹤的儿子，
35 拿鹤是西鹿的儿子，
西鹿是拉吴的儿子，
拉吴是法勒的儿子，
法勒是希伯的儿子，
希伯是沙拉的儿子，
36 沙拉是该南的儿子，
该南是亚法撒的儿子，
亚法撒是闪的儿子，
闪是诺亚的儿子，
诺亚是拉麦的儿子，
37 拉麦是玛土撒拉的儿子，
玛土撒拉是以诺的儿子，
以诺是雅列的儿子，
雅列是玛勒列的儿子，
玛勒列是该南的儿子，
38 该南是以挪土的儿子，
以挪土是赛特的儿子，
赛特是亚当的儿子，
亚当是上帝的儿子。
Footnotes
- 路 加 福 音 3:9 树： 不接受耶稣的人。他们会像树一样被砍倒。
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