Luke 3
Easy-to-Read Version
John Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)
3 It was the 15th year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were under Caesar:
Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea;
Herod, the ruler of Galilee;
Philip, Herod’s brother, the ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis;
Lysanias, the ruler of Abilene.
2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. During this time, John, the son of Zechariah, was living in the desert, and he received a message from God. 3 So he went through the whole area around the Jordan River and told the people God’s message. He told them to be baptized to show that they wanted to change their lives, and then their sins would be forgiven. 4 This is like the words written in the book of Isaiah the prophet:
“There is someone shouting in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make the road straight for him.
5 Every valley will be filled,
and every mountain and hill will be made flat.
Crooked roads will be made straight,
and rough roads will be made smooth.
6 Then everyone will see
how God will save his people!’” (B)
7 Crowds of people came to be baptized by John. But he said to them, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run from God’s judgment that is coming? 8 Change your hearts! And show by your lives that you have changed. I know what you are about to say—‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you that God can make children for Abraham from these rocks! 9 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees.[a] Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 The people asked John, “What should we do?”
11 He answered, “If you have two shirts, share with someone who does not have one. If you have food, share that too.”
12 Even the tax collectors came to John. They wanted to be baptized. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He told them, “Don’t take more taxes from people than you have been ordered to collect.”
14 The soldiers asked him, “What about us? What should we do?”
He said to them, “Don’t use force or lies to make people give you money. Be happy with the pay you get.”
15 Everyone was hoping for the Messiah to come, and they wondered about John. They thought, “Maybe he is the Messiah.”
16 John’s answer to this was, “I baptize you in water, but there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who unties his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 He will come ready to clean the grain.[b] He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will put the good part into his barn. Then he will burn the useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped.” 18 John said many other things like this to encourage the people to change, and he told them the Good News.
How John’s Work Later Ended
19 John criticized Herod the ruler for what he had done with Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother, as well as for all the other bad things he had done. 20 So Herod added another bad thing to all his other wrongs: He put John in jail.
Jesus Is Baptized by John(C)
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus came and was baptized too. And while he was praying, the sky opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit came down on him. The Spirit looked like a real dove. Then a voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you.”
The Family History of Joseph(D)
23 When Jesus began to teach, he was about 30 years old. People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son.
Joseph was the son of Eli.
24 Eli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melchi.
Melchi 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 Melchi.
Melchi 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.
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.
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 Mahalaleel.
Mahalaleel was the son of Cainan.
38 Cainan was the son of Enos.
Enos was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.
Luke 3
Legacy Standard Bible
The Preaching of John the Baptist
3 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, 2 during the high priesthood of (C)Annas and (D)Caiaphas, (E)the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all (F)the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“(G)The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the [a]Lord,
Make His paths straight.
5 (H)Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be [b]brought low;
The crooked will be straight,
And the rough roads smooth.
6 (I)And all [c]flesh will (J)see the salvation of God.’”
7 So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “(K)You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and (L)do not begin to say [d]to yourselves, ‘(M)We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 9 But indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, (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 should we do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two [e]tunics is to (P)share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” 12 And (Q)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 And he said to them, “[f]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 And soldiers were also questioning him, saying, “What should we also do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or (R)extort anyone, and (S)be content with your wages.”
15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, (T)as to whether he was the [g]Christ, 16 (U)John answered, saying to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals; He will baptize you 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.”
18 So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the gospel to the people. 19 But when (X)Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him because of (Y)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which (Z)Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: (AA)he locked John up in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus
21 (AB)Now it happened that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was (AC)praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “(AD)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
The Genealogy of Jesus
23 (AE)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, [h]as was supposed,
the son of (AF)Joseph,
[i]the son of [j]Eli,
24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi,
the son of Melchi,
the son of Jannai,
the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias,
the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum,
the son of [k]Hesli,
the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias,
the son of Semein,
the son of Josech,
the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan,
the son of Rhesa,
(AG)the son of Zerubbabel,
the son of [l]Shealtiel,
the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi,
the son of Addi,
the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam,
the son of Er,
29 the son of [m]Joshua,
the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim,
the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon,
the son of [n]Judah,
the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam,
the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea,
the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha,
the son of Nathan,
the son of David,
32 (AH)the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed,
the son of Boaz,
the son of [o]Salmon,
the son of [p]Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab,
the son of Admin,
the son of [q]Ram,
the son of Hezron,
the son of Perez,
the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac,
(AI)the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah,
the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug,
the son of [r]Reu,
the son of Peleg,
the son of [s]Heber,
the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad,
the son of Shem,
(AJ)the son of Noah,
the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah,
the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared,
the son of Mahalaleel,
the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth,
the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Footnotes
- Luke 3:4 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 40:3
- Luke 3:5 Or leveled
- Luke 3:6 Or mankind
- Luke 3:8 Or in
- Luke 3:11 Gr khiton, the garment worn next to the skin
- Luke 3:13 Or Exact
- Luke 3:15 Messiah
- Luke 3:23 Lit as it was being thought
- Luke 3:23 Lit of Eli, so in genealogy
- Luke 3:23 Also spelled Heli
- Luke 3:25 Also spelled Esli
- Luke 3:27 Gr Salathiel; names of people in the Old Testament are given in their Old Testament form through v 38
- Luke 3:29 Gr Jesus
- Luke 3:30 Gr Judas
- Luke 3:32 Gr Sala
- Luke 3:32 Gr Naasson
- Luke 3:33 Gr Arni
- Luke 3:35 Gr Ragau
- Luke 3:35 Gr Eber
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