According to Luke

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Ti·beʹri·us Caesar,* when Pontius Pilate was governor of Ju·deʹa, and Herod*+ was district ruler* of Galʹi·lee, but Philip his brother was district ruler of the country of It·u·raeʹa and Trach·o·niʹtis, and Ly·saʹni·as was district ruler of Ab·i·leʹne, 2 in the days of chief priest Anʹnas and of Caʹia·phas,+ God’s declaration came to John+ the son of Zech·a·riʹah in the wilderness.+

3 So he came into all the country around the Jordan, preaching baptism [in symbol] of repentance for forgiveness of sins,+ 4 just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “Listen! Someone is crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah,* YOU people, make his roads straight.+ 5 Every gully must be filled up, and every mountain and hill leveled down, and the curves must become straight ways and the rough places smooth ways;+ 6 and all flesh will see the saving means of God.’”+

7 Therefore he began to say to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him: “YOU offspring of vipers,+ who has intimated to YOU to flee from the coming wrath?+ 8 Therefore produce fruits that befit repentance.*+ And do not start saying within yourselves, ‘As a father we have Abraham.’ For I say to YOU that God has power to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 Indeed, the ax is already in position at the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, not producing fine fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”+

10 And the crowds would ask him: “What, then, shall we do?”+ 11 In reply he would say to them: “Let the man that has two undergarments share with the man that has none, and let him that has things to eat do the same.”+ 12 But even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him: “Teacher, what shall we do?”+ 13 He said to them: “Do not demand anything more than the tax rate.”+ 14 Also, those in military service would ask him: “What shall we also do?” And he said to them: “Do not harass anybody or accuse+ anybody falsely, but be satisfied with YOUR provisions.”*+

15 Now as the people were in expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John: “May he perhaps be the Christ?”+ 16 John gave the answer, saying to all: “I, for my part, baptize YOU with water; but the one stronger than I am is coming, the lace of whose sandals I am not fit to untie.+ He will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and fire.+ 17 His winnowing shovel is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor completely and to gather+ the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff+ he will burn up with fire+ that cannot be put out.”

18 Therefore he also gave many other exhortations and continued declaring good news to the people. 19 But Herod the district ruler,* for being reproved by him concerning He·roʹdi·as the wife of his brother and concerning all the wicked deeds that Herod did,+ 20 added also this to all those [deeds]: he locked John up in prison.+

21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus+ also was baptized* and, as he was praying, the heaven+ was opened up 22 and the holy spirit in bodily shape like a dove came down upon him, and a voice came out of heaven: “You are my Son, the beloved; I have approved you.”+