Gospel according to Luke 3

¹ In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign[*a], when Pontius Pilate[*b] was governor of Judaea, Herod[*c] tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip[*d] tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrach of Abilene,

² during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas[*e] the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

³ He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

⁴ as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

⁵ Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, winding ways will be straightened and rough roads made smooth.

⁶ And all mankind shall see the salvation of God[*f].

⁷ He said, therefore, to the crowds who came to be baptised by him, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming?

⁸ But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruits, and do not think of telling yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones.

⁹ Yes, even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire.’

¹⁰ When all the people asked him, ‘What must we do, then?’

¹¹ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same’.

¹² There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’

¹³ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate’.

¹⁴ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’

¹⁵ A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ,

¹⁶ so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

¹⁷ His winnowing-fan 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 will never go out.’

¹⁸ As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them. John the Baptist imprisoned

¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, whom he criticised for his relations with his brother’s wife Herodias and for all the other crimes Herod had committed,

²⁰ added a further crime to all the rest by shutting John up in prison.

²¹ Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened

²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you’.

²³ When he started to teach, Jesus was about thirty years old, being the son, as it was thought, of Joseph son of Heli,

²⁴ son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph,

²⁵ son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai,

²⁶ son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda,

²⁷ son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri,

²⁸ son of MeIchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua,

²⁹ son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi

³⁰ son of Symeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim,

³¹ son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David,

³² son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon,

³³ son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,

³⁴ son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,

³⁵ son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah,

³⁶ son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,

³⁷ son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,

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