Luke 3
Worldwide English (New Testament)
3 Tiberius Caesar had been king for fifteen years. Pontius Pilate was the ruler of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother Philip was the ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene.
2 Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. At that time God spoke to John in the desert. John was the son of Zechariah.
3 Then John went to all the country around the Jordan River. He told the people to stop doing wrong things, turn back to God and be baptised. And God would forgive them for the wrong things they did.
4 Isaiah, the prophet of God, wrote about him long ago in his book: `A man is calling out in the desert: "Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.
5 Every valley will be filled. Every big hill and every small hill will be cut down flat. Crooked roads will be made into straight roads. Bad roads will be made into good roads.
6 And all people will see that God can save." '
7 Many people came out to John to be baptised. He said to them, `You family of snakes! Who told you to run away from God's anger that is coming?
8 Do good things that will show you have stopped your wrong ways! Do not begin to say to yourselves, "We are Abraham's children. " I tell you, God can make children for Abraham from these stones.
9 The axe is ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'
10 The people asked John, `What shall we do?'
11 John answered them, `Any man who has two shirts should give one to a man who has none. Any man who has food should do the same.'
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptised. They asked John, `Sir, what shall we do?'
13 He said to them, `Do not make people pay more money than you are told to.'
14 Some soldiers also asked him, `What shall we do?' He answered them `Do not force people. Do not tell lies about people. Do not want more pay than you get.'
15 The people were waiting to see what would happen. They were all asking about John. They thought that he might be the Christ, the great king promised by God long ago.
16 John said to them all, `I baptise you with water. But another person is coming. He is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his shoe strings. He will baptise you with the Holy spirit and with fire.
17 He has a cleaning fan in his hand and will fan his grain very clean. He will put the grain into his storehouse. But he will burn the chaff in the fire that never goes out.'
18 By these words and many other ways, he told the people the good news.
19 John told Herod the ruler that he had done wrong things. He told him he should not have his brother's wife, Herodias. He also told him about all the other wrong things he had done.
20 Later on Herod did another wrong thing after all those wrong things. He put John in prison.
21 When all the other people had been baptised, Jesus was also baptised. While he was talking with God, the sky opened.
22 The Holy Spirit came down upon him like a dove. And a voice from the sky said, `You are my dear Son. I am very pleased with you'.
23-38 esus was about thirty years old when he began his work. The people thought he was Joseph's son. Here are the names of Jesus' family line: Joseph, Heli, Matthat, Levi, Melchi, Janna, Joseph, Mattathiah, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, Maath, Mattathiah, Semei, Joseph, Judah, Joannas, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmodam, Er, Jose, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonan, Eliakim, Melea, Menen, Mattathah, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Ram, Hezron, Perez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah, Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, Cainan, Enosh, Seth, Adam. Adam came from God.
Luke 3
New King James Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)
3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, (B)Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 [a]while (C)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to (D)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 (E)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance (F)for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
(G)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
6 And (H)all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
John Preaches to the People(I)
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, (J)“Brood[b] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits (K)worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore (L)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 So the people asked him, saying, (M)“What shall we do then?”
11 He answered and said to them, (N)“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, (O)let him do likewise.”
12 Then (P)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, (Q)“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”
So he said to them, “Do not [c]intimidate anyone (R)or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying to all, (S)“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will (T)baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and (U)gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. 19 (V)But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his [d]brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
John Baptizes Jesus(W)
21 When all the people were baptized, (X)it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am (Y)well pleased.”
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ(Z)
23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at (AA)about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) (AB)the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of (AC)Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of (AD)Nathan, (AE)the son of David, 32 (AF)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, (AG)the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 (AH)the son of Cainan, the son of (AI)Arphaxad, (AJ)the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, (AK)the son of God.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
