Luke 3
Contemporary English Version
The Preaching of John the Baptist
(Matthew 3.1-12; Mark 1.1-8; John 1.19-28)
3 For 15 years[a] Emperor Tiberius had ruled that part of the world. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod[b] was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother, Philip, was the ruler in the countries of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the Jewish high priests.[c]
At that time God spoke to Zechariah's son John, who was living in the desert. 3 So John went along the Jordan Valley, telling the people, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.” 4 (A) Isaiah the prophet wrote about John when he said,
“In the desert
someone is shouting,
‘Get the road ready
for the Lord!
Make a straight path
for him.
5 Fill up every valley
and level every mountain
and hill.
Straighten the crooked paths
and smooth out
the rough roads.
6 Then everyone will see
the saving power of God.’ ”
7 (B) Crowds of people came out to be baptized, but John said to them, “You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? 8 (C) Do something to show that you really have given up your sins. Don't start saying you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham.[d] 9 (D) An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”
10 The crowds asked John, “What should we do?”
11 John told them, “If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else.”
12 (E) When tax collectors[e] came to be baptized, they asked John, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 John told them, “Don't make people pay more than they owe.”
14 Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us? What do we have to do?”
John told them, “Don't force people to pay money to make you leave them alone. Be satisfied with your pay.”
15 Everyone became excited and wondered, “Could John be the Messiah?”
16 John said, “I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.[f] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His threshing fork[g] is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in his barn and burn the husks with a fire that never goes out.”
18 In many different ways John preached the good news to the people. 19 (F) But to Herod the ruler, he said, “It was wrong for you to take Herodias, your brother's wife.” John also said Herod had done many other bad things. 20 Finally, Herod put John in jail, and this was the worst thing he had done.
The Baptism of Jesus
(Matthew 3.13-17; Mark 1.9-11)
21 While everyone else was being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then as he prayed, the sky opened up, 22 (G) and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”
The Ancestors of Jesus
(Matthew 1.1-17)
23 When Jesus began to preach, he was about 30 years old. Everyone thought he was the son of Joseph. But his family went back through Heli, 24 Matthat, Levi, Melchi, Jannai, Joseph, 25 Mattathias, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, 26 Maath, Mattathias, Semein, Josech, Joda;
27 Joanan, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, 28 Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmadam, Er, 29 Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi;
30 Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonam, Eliakim, 31 Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, 32 Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon;
33 Amminadab, Admin, Arni, Hezron, Perez, Judah, 34 Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, 35 Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah;
36 Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, 37 Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Kenan, 38 Enosh, and Seth.
The family of Jesus went all the way back to Adam and then to God.
Footnotes
- 3.1 For 15 years: This was either a.d. 28 or 29, and Jesus was about 30 years old (see 3.23).
- 3.1 Herod: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
- 3.2 Annas and Caiaphas … high priests: Annas was high priest from a.d. 6 until 15. His son-in-law Caiaphas was high priest from a.d. 18 until 37.
- 3.8 children for Abraham: The Jewish people thought they were God's chosen people because of God's promises to their ancestor Abraham.
- 3.12 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion.
- 3.16 untie his sandals: This was the duty of a slave.
- 3.17 threshing fork: After Jewish farmers had trampled out the grain, they used a large fork to pitch the grain and the husks into the air. Wind would blow away the light husks, and the grain would fall back to the ground, where it could be gathered up.
Luke 3
Wycliffe Bible
3 In the fifteen year of the empire of Tiberius, the emperor, when Pilate of Pontii governed Judaea, and Herod was prince of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, was prince of Ituraea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was prince of Abilene,
2 under the princes of priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was made on [upon] John, the son of Zacharias, in desert.
3 And he came into all the country of Jordan, and preached [preaching] baptism of penance into remission of sins.
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of one crying in desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right.
5 Each valley shall be full-filled, and every hill and little hill shall be made low; and depraved things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways; [Each valley shall be filled, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways;]
6 and every flesh [and each flesh] shall see the health of God.
7 Therefore he said to the people, which went out to be baptized of him, Kindlings of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath to coming?[a]
8 Therefore do ye worthy fruits of penance, and begin ye not to say, We have a father Abraham; for I say to you, that God is mighty to raise of these stones the sons of Abraham [soothly I say to you, God is mighty of these stones to raise the sons of Abraham].
9 And now an ax is set [is put] to the root of the tree; and therefore every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire [shall be cut down, and sent into the fire].
10 And the people asked him, and said [saying], What then shall we do?
11 He answered, and said to them [Soothly he answering said to them], He that hath two coats, give he to him that hath none; and he that hath meats, do in like manner.
12 And [the] publicans came to be baptized; and they said to him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said to them, Do ye nothing more, than that that is ordained to you.
14 And [the] knights asked him, and said, What shall also we do [Forsooth and the knights asked him, saying, What shall and we do]? And he said to them, Smite ye wrongfully no man, neither make ye false challenge, and be ye satisfied with your wages [and be satisfied with your wages].
15 When all the people guessed, and all men thought in their hearts of John, lest peradventure he were Christ,
16 John answered, and said [saying] to all men, [Soothly] I baptize you in water; but a stronger than I shall come after me, of whom I am not worthy to unbind the lace of his shoes [of whose I am not worthy to unbind the thong of his shoes]; he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.
17 Whose fan in his hand/Whose winnowing tool is in his hand, and he shall purge his floor of corn [and he shall purge his corn floor], and shall gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he shall burn with fire unquenchable.
18 And many other things also he spake, and preached to the people. [Forsooth and he stirring, or admonishing, many other things, evangelized to the people.]
19 But Herod [the] tetrarch, when he was blamed of John for Herodias, the wife of his brother, and for all the evils that Herod did,
20 he increased this over all, and shut John in prison.[b]
21 And it was done, when all the people was baptized, and when Jesus was baptized, and prayed [and praying], heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy Ghost came down in bodily likeness, as a dove on him; and a voice was made from heaven, Thou art my dear-worthy Son, in thee it hath well pleased to me.
23 And Jesus himself was beginning as of thirty years, that he was guessed the son of Joseph, which was of Heli,
24 which was of Matthat, which was of Levi, which was of Melchi, that was [which was] of Janna, that was of Joseph,
25 that was of Mattathias, that was of Amos, that was of Naum, that was of Esli, that was of Nagge,
26 that was of Maath, that was of Mattathias, that was of Semei, that was of Joseph, that was of Juda,
27 that was of Joanna, that was of Rhesa, that was of Zorobabel, that was of Salathiel, that was of Neri,
28 that was of Melchi, that was of Addi, that was of Cosam, that was of Elmodam, that was of Er,
29 that was of Jose, that was of Eliezer, that was of Jorim, that was of Matthat, that was of Levi,
30 that was of Simeon, that was of Juda, that was of Joseph, that was of Jonan, that was of Eliakim,
31 that was of Melea, that was of Menan, that was of Mattatha, that was of Nathan, that was of David,
32 that was of Jesse, that was of Obed, that was of Booz, that was of Salmon, that was of Naasson,
33 that was of Aminadab, that was of Aram, that was of Esrom, that was of Phares, that was of Juda,
34 that was of Jacob, that was of Isaac, that was of Abraham, that was of Thara, that was of Nachor,
35 that was of Saruch, that was of Ragau, that was of Phalec, that was of Heber, that was of Sala,
36 that was of Cainan, that was of Arphaxad, that was of Sem, that was of Noe, that was of Lamech,
37 that was of Mathusala, that was of Enoch, that was of Jared, that was of Maleleel, that was of Cainan,
38 that was of Enos, that was of Seth, that was of Adam, that was of God.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
2001 by Terence P. Noble