The Mission of John the Baptist
(Isaiah 40:1-5; Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:19-28)
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye 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.
7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
18And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. 19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus
(Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; John 1:29-34)
21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:1-17)
23And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 25Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
The Mission of John the Baptist
(Isaiah 40:1–5; Matthew 3:1–12; Mark 1:1–8; John 1:19–28)
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.
5 Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.
6 All flesh will see God’s salvation.’”
7 He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! 9 Even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t bring forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”
10 The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?” 11 He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”
15 As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ, 16 John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the latchet of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, 17 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
18 Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people, 19 but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20 added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus
(Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; John 1:29–34)
21 Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:1–17)
23 Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 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, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 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, the son of Shelah, 36 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, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
The Mission of John the Baptist
(Isaiah 40:1–5; Matthew 3:1–12; Mark 1:1–8; John 1:19–28)
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
and every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked ways shall be made straight,
and the rough ways smooth.
6 And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’ ” a
7 Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
11 John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
“Do not take money by force or false accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.”
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. 16 John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, b but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. c He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. d 17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
18 With these and many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people. 19 But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus
(Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; John 1:29–34)
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:1–17)
23 Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry.
He was regarded as the son of Joseph,
the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum,
the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel,
the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha,
the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Sala, e the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, f the son of Arni, g
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 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, the son of Shelah,
36 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 Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enosh, h the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Footnotes:
6 a Literally And all flesh will see God’s salvation ; Isaiah 40:3–5 (see also LXX)
16 b Or in water
16 c Cited in Acts 13:25
16 d Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire
32 e BYZ and TR Salmon ; see Ruth 4:20–21 and Matthew 1:4–5.
33 f BYZ and TR Aram ; others Ram ; see Ruth 4:19 and Matthew 1:3–4.
33 g WH, BYZ, and TR do not include the son of Arni .
38 h Greek Enōs , a variant spelling of Enosh; see Genesis 5:6.
The Mission of John the Baptist
(Isaiah 40:1-5; Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:19-28)
1And 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 -- 2Annas and Caiaphas being chief priests -- there came a word of God unto John the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness, 3and he came to all the region round the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of reformation -- to remission of sins,
4as 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;
5every 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;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'
7Then 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? 8make, 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; 9and 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.'
10And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, 'What, then, shall we do?' 11and 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.' 12And there came also tax-gatherers to be baptised, and they said unto him, 'Teacher, what shall we do?' 13and he said unto them, 'Exact no more than that directed you.' 14And 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.'
15And the people are looking forward, and all are reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether or not he may be the Christ; 16John 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; 17whose 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.'
18And, therefore, indeed with many other things, exhorting, he was proclaiming good news to the people, 19and Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias the wife of Philip his brother, and concerning all the evils that Herod did, 20added also this to all, that he shut up John in the prison.
The Baptism of Jesus
(Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; John 1:29-34)
21And it came to pass, in all the people being baptised, Jesus also being baptised, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22and 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.'
The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:1-17)
23And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, son of Joseph, 24the son of Eli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Naum, the son of Esli, 26the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Juda, 27the son of Joanna, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, 28the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, 30the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Juda, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Mainan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, 32the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Booz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Esrom, the son of Pharez, 34the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, 36the son of Salah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, 38the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
The Ministry of John the Baptist
¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—
² during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
³ He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.
⁵ Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
⁶ And all people will see God’s salvation.’”*
⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
¹⁰ “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
¹³ “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.
¹⁶ John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But One who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire!
¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.
¹⁹ But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done,
²⁰ Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus
²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened
²² and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.”
²³ Now Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli,
²⁴ the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi,
the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai,
the son of Joseph,
²⁵ the son of Mattathias,
the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum,
the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai,
²⁶ the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias,
the son of Semein,
the son of Josech,
the son of Joda,
²⁷ the son of Joanan,
the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel,
the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri,
²⁸ the son of Melki,
the son of Addi,
the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam,
the son of Er,
²⁹ the son of Joshua,
the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim,
the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi,
³⁰ the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah,
the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonan,
the son of Eliakim,
³¹ the son of Melea,
the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha,
the son of Nathan,
the son of David,
³² the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed,
the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon,
the son of Nahshon,
³³ the son of Amminadab,
the son of Ram,
the son of Hezron,
the son of Perez,
the son of Judah,
³⁴ 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,
the son of Shelah,
³⁶ 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 Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan,
³⁸ the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth,
the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Footnotes:
3:6: The phrase “all people will see God’s salvation” reflects the universal scope of God’s plan to redeem humanity through Jesus.
3:8: John’s challenge to produce “fruit in keeping with repentance” emphasizes that true repentance must lead to tangible changes in behavior.
3:9: The metaphor of the ax at the root of the trees is an urgent warning of imminent judgment for those who do not bear good fruit.
3:16: John contrasts his own water baptism with the far more powerful and transformative baptism by the Holy Spirit that Jesus would bring.
3:22: The voice from heaven affirms Jesus’ divine sonship, with the words “You are My Son” echoing Old Testament messianic prophecies.
3:23: Jesus being “about thirty years old” aligns with the age at which priests would begin their service, highlighting the start of His public ministry.
3:38: The genealogy linking Jesus to Adam and ultimately to God emphasizes Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity, connecting Him to all people.
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