Luke 3

3 ¹In Tiberius Caesar's fifteenth year, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias of Abilene, ²under high priests Annas and Caiaphas, our Father's word came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went through the whole Jordan region, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁵Every valley will be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads will become straight, and the rough ways smooth, ⁶and all flesh will see the salvation of our Father."

⁷John said then to the crowds coming to be baptized by him: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? ⁸So produce fruit worthy of repentance. Don't start telling yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, our Father can raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ⁹Already the axe lies at the root of the trees; every tree not bearing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

¹⁰And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"

¹¹He replied, "Whoever has two shirts, share with the one who has none; whoever has food, do the same."

¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

¹³"Collect no more than you are required to," he told them.

¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, "And us—what should we do?" He said to them, "Don't extort anyone by force or false charges; be satisfied with your wages."

¹⁵The people were expectant, all wondering in their hearts whether John himself might be the Christ. ¹⁶John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one stronger than I is coming—I'm not worthy to untie his sandal strap. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷Winnowing fork in hand, he will clear his threshing floor, gather the wheat into his barn, but burn the chaff with fire that can't be put out."

¹⁸And with many other words of exhortation, John proclaimed the good news to the people. ¹⁹But John confronted Herod the tetrarch about Herodias, his brother's wife, and about all the evil Herod had done, ²⁰Herod added this to all the rest: he locked John up in prison.

The Father Calls His Son Beloved

²¹When all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too. As he prayed, heaven opened,

²²and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my beloved Son; in you I delight."

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