Lu-ca 3

The word of God comes to John

¹It was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod ruled Galilee as tetrarch, his brother Philip ruled the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruled Abilene. ²Annas and Caiaphas held the high priesthood. In that year the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went through all the country around the Jordan, announcing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴It was as it stands written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice is calling out in the wilderness, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord, make the paths straight for him.’ ⁵Every valley will be filled in, and every mountain and hill brought low; the winding roads will be made straight, and the rough roads level, ⁶and all people will see the salvation of God.’”

Fruit that shows repentance

⁷So John would say to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You children of snakes! Who told you to run from the anger that is coming? ⁸Then bear fruit that fits your repentance. And do not start telling yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham out of these stones. ⁹The ax is already lying at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰The crowds asked him, “Then what are we to do?” ¹¹He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts must share with the person who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.” ¹²Tax collectors too came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they said to him, “what are we to do?” ¹³He told them, “Take no more than the amount you have been ordered to collect.” ¹⁴Some soldiers asked him too, “And what about us? What are we to do?” He told them, “Do not shake anyone down for money or make false charges, and be satisfied with your pay.”

One stronger than John is coming

¹⁵The people were full of expectation, and all of them were asking themselves whether John might be Christ. ¹⁶John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But someone stronger than I am is coming, and I am not fit to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn. But the chaff he will burn in a fire that never goes out.”

¹⁸With many other words of appeal, John announced the good news to the people. ¹⁹But John had rebuked Herod the tetrarch for taking Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the other evil things he had done. ²⁰So Herod added this to all the rest: he locked John up in prison.

The Spirit comes down on Jesus

²¹At the time when all the people were being baptized, Jesus also received baptism. As he prayed, heaven opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit came down on him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my dear Son; you bring my heart delight.”^a

The family line of Jesus, back to Adam

²³Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son, as people supposed, of Joseph, son of Heli, ²⁴son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, ²⁵son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, ²⁶son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, ²⁷son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, ²⁸son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, ²⁹son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, ³⁰son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, ³¹son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, ³²son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon, ³³son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, ³⁴son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, ³⁵son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, ³⁶son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, ³⁷son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, ³⁸son of Enosh, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.^bc