3 And in the fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar -- Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother, tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene --

² Annas and Caiaphas being chief priests -- there came a word of God unto John the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness,

³ and he came to all the region round the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of reformation -- to remission of sins,

⁴ as it hath been written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, `A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths;

⁵ every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straightness, and the rough become smooth ways;

⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'

⁷ Then said he to the multitudes coming forth to be baptised by him, `Brood of vipers! who did prompt you to flee from the coming wrath?

⁸ make, therefore, fruits worthy of the reformation, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have a father -- Abraham; for I say to you, that God is able out of these stones to raise children to Abraham;

⁹ and already also the axe unto the root of the trees is laid, every tree, therefore, not making good fruit is cut down, and to fire it is cast.'

¹⁰ And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, `What, then, shall we do?'

¹¹ and he answering saith to them, `He having two coats -- let him impart to him having none, and he having victuals -- in like manner let him do.'

¹² And there came also tax-gatherers to be baptised, and they said unto him, `Teacher, what shall we do?'

¹³ and he said unto them, `Exact no more than that directed you.'

¹⁴ And questioning him also were those warring, saying, `And we, what shall we do?' and he said unto them, `Do violence to no one, nor accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.'

¹⁵ And the people are looking forward, and all are reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether or not he may be the Christ;

¹⁶ John answered, saying to all, `I indeed with water do baptise you, but he cometh who is mightier than I, of whom I am not worthy to loose the latchet of his sandals -- he shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire;

¹⁷ whose winnowing shovel [is] in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and will gather the wheat to his storehouse, and the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.'

¹⁸ And, therefore, indeed with many other things, exhorting, he was proclaiming good news to the people,

¹⁹ and Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias the wife of Philip his brother, and concerning all the evils that Herod did,

²⁰ added also this to all, that he shut up John in the prison.

²¹ And it came to pass, in all the people being baptised, Jesus also being baptised, and praying, the heaven was opened,

²² and the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily appearance, as if a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, saying, `Thou art My Son -- the Beloved, in thee I did delight.'

²³ And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, son of Joseph,

²⁴ the [son] of Eli, the [son] of Matthat, the [son] of Levi, the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of Janna, the [son] of Joseph,

²⁵ the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Amos, the [son] of Naum, the [son] of Esli,

²⁶ the [son] of Naggai, the [son] of Maath, the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Semei, the [son] of Joseph, the [son] of Juda,

²⁷ the [son] of Joanna, the [son] of Rhesa, the [son] of Zerubbabel, the [son] of Shealtiel,

²⁸ the [son] of Neri, 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,

³⁰ the [son] of Levi, the [son] of Simeon, the [son] of Juda, the [son] of Joseph, the [son] of Jonan, the [son] of Eliakim,

³¹ the [son] of Melea, the [son] of Mainan, the [son] of Mattatha, the [son] of Nathan,

³² the [son] of David, the [son] of Jesse, the [son] of Obed, the [son] of Booz, the [son] of Salmon, the [son] of Nahshon,

³³ the [son] of Amminadab, the [son] of Aram, the [son] of Esrom, the [son] of Pharez,

³⁴ the [son] of Judah, 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,

³⁶ the [son] of Salah, 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,

³⁸ the [son] of Cainan, the [son] of Enos, the [son] of Seth, the [son] of Adam, the [son] of God.