The Ministry of John the Baptist

1. In the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, and 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 Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came upon John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3. And he went into all the region around the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
4. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A 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 shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth.”
6. “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

John’s Call to Repentance

7. So he said to the crowds going out to be baptised by him, “Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”
8. “Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father,’ for I say to you that God is able to raise children for Abraham from these stones.”
9. “And already the axe is laid to the root of the trees; therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10. And the crowds asked him, “What, then, shall we do?”
11. And he answered and said to them, “Let the one who has two tunics share with the one who has none, and let the one who has food do likewise.”

12. Then tax collectors also came to be baptised and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13. And he said to them, “Collect nothing beyond what you have been authorised.”

14. And soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?”. And he said to them, “Extort from no-one, nor accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Expectation of the Messiah

15. And as the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Christ.
16. John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptise you with water, but one stronger than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
17. “His winnowing-fork is in his hand to cleanse his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

18. So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

The Imprisonment of John

19. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias the wife of his brother, and concerning all the wicked deeds that Herod had done.
20. Added this also to all: he shut John up in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

21. Now it happened, when all the people were being baptised, and Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, that the heaven was opened.
22. And the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.”

The Genealogy of Jesus

23.  Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

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 Esli, 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, the son of 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 Elmadam, the son of Er,

29.  the son of 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 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.  the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,

33.  the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, 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, 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.  the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, 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 Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,

38.  the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.