3 In the fifteen year of the empire of Tiberius, the emperor, when Pilate of Pontii governed Judaea, and Herod was prince of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, was prince of Ituraea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was prince of Abilene,

² under the princes of priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was made on [upon] John, the son of Zacharias, in desert.

³ And he came into all the country of Jordan, and preached [preaching] baptism of penance into remission of sins.

⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of one crying in desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right.

⁵ Each valley shall be full-filled, and every hill and little hill shall be made low; and depraved things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways; [Each valley shall be filled, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways;]

⁶ and every flesh [and each flesh] shall see the health of God.

⁷ Therefore he said to the people, which went out to be baptized of him, Kindlings of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath to coming?^[a]

⁸ Therefore do ye worthy fruits of penance, and begin ye not to say, We have a father Abraham; for I say to you, that God is mighty to raise of these stones the sons of Abraham [soothly I say to you, God is mighty of these stones to raise the sons of Abraham].

⁹ And now an ax is set [is put] to the root of the tree; and therefore every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire [shall be cut down, and sent into the fire].

¹⁰ And the people asked him, and said [saying], What then shall we do?

¹¹ He answered, and said to them [Soothly he answering said to them], He that hath two coats, give he to him that hath none; and he that hath meats, do in like manner.

¹² And [the] publicans came to be baptized; and they said to him, Master, what shall we do?

¹³ And he said to them, Do ye nothing more, than that that is ordained to you.

¹⁴ And [the] knights asked him, and said, What shall also we do [Forsooth and the knights asked him, saying, What shall and we do]? And he said to them, Smite ye wrongfully no man, neither make ye false challenge, and be ye satisfied with your wages [and be satisfied with your wages].

¹⁵ When all the people guessed, and all men thought in their hearts of John, lest peradventure he were Christ,

¹⁶ John answered, and said [saying] to all men, [Soothly] I baptize you in water; but a stronger than I shall come after me, of whom I am not worthy to unbind the lace of his shoes [of whose I am not worthy to unbind the thong of his shoes]; he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.

¹⁷ Whose fan in his hand/Whose winnowing tool is in his hand, and he shall purge his floor of corn [and he shall purge his corn floor], and shall gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he shall burn with fire unquenchable.

¹⁸ And many other things also he spake, and preached to the people. [Forsooth and he stirring, or admonishing, many other things, evangelized to the people.]

¹⁹ But Herod [the] tetrarch, when he was blamed of John for Herodias, the wife of his brother, and for all the evils that Herod did,

²⁰ he increased this over all, and shut John in prison.^[b]

²¹ And it was done, when all the people was baptized, and when Jesus was baptized, and prayed [and praying], heaven was opened.

²² And the Holy Ghost came down in bodily likeness, as a dove on him; and a voice was made from heaven, Thou art my dear-worthy Son, in thee it hath well pleased to me.

²³ And Jesus himself was beginning as of thirty years, that he was guessed the son of Joseph, which was of Heli,

²⁴ which was of Matthat, which was of Levi, which was of Melchi, that was [which was] of Janna, that was of Joseph,

²⁵ that was of Mattathias, that was of Amos, that was of Naum, that was of Esli, that was of Nagge,

²⁶ that was of Maath, that was of Mattathias, that was of Semei, that was of Joseph, that was of Juda,

²⁷ that was of Joanna, that was of Rhesa, that was of Zorobabel, that was of Salathiel, that was of Neri,

²⁸ that was of Melchi, that was of Addi, that was of Cosam, that was of Elmodam, that was of Er,

²⁹ that was of Jose, that was of Eliezer, that was of Jorim, that was of Matthat, that was of Levi,

³⁰ that was of Simeon, that was of Juda, that was of Joseph, that was of Jonan, that was of Eliakim,

³¹ that was of Melea, that was of Menan, that was of Mattatha, that was of Nathan, that was of David,

³² that was of Jesse, that was of Obed, that was of Booz, that was of Salmon, that was of Naasson,

³³ that was of Aminadab, that was of Aram, that was of Esrom, that was of Phares, that was of Juda,

³⁴ that was of Jacob, that was of Isaac, that was of Abraham, that was of Thara, that was of Nachor,

³⁵ that was of Saruch, that was of Ragau, that was of Phalec, that was of Heber, that was of Sala,

³⁶ that was of Cainan, that was of Arphaxad, that was of Sem, that was of Noe, that was of Lamech,

³⁷ that was of Mathusala, that was of Enoch, that was of Jared, that was of Maleleel, that was of Cainan,

³⁸ that was of Enos, that was of Seth, that was of Adam, that was of God.