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1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Traconitis, and Lysanias was the tetrarch of Abilene.[#Mt 27:2; #Mt 14:1]
2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.[#Jn 18:24; Ac 4:6]
3He came into the region surrounding the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.[#Lk 1:77]
4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make His paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
and the crooked shall be made straight
and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”[#Isa 40:5; 52:10; #3:4–6 Isa 40:3–5.]
7Then he said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?[#Mt 12:34; 23:33]
8Therefore bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.[#Ac 26:20; #Jn 8:33]
9Even now the axe is put to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”[#Mt 7:19; Lk 13:7]
10The people asked him, “What then must we do?”[#Ac 2:37; 16:30]
11John answered, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise.”[#Da 4:27; Lk 18:22]
12Then tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”[#Lk 7:29]
13He said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed you.”[#Lk 19:8]
14Then the soldiers likewise demanded of him, “And what must we do?”
He said to them, “Do no violence to anyone nor accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages.”
15As the people were in expectation, and everyone reflected in their hearts upon John, whether he might be the Christ or not,
16John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water. But One mightier than I is coming, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[#Mt 3:11; Ac 1:5; 2:3–4]
17His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into His granary. But He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.”[#Isa 30:24; #Mt 13:30]
18Then he preached many other things in his exhortation to the people.
19But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,[#Mk 6:17–18; Lk 3:1]
20added also this above them all: He locked John up in prison.
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,[#Jn 1:32–34]
22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son. In You I am well pleased.”[#Ps 2:7; Isa 42:1]
23Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph,[#Nu 4:3; #Mt 13:55]