Luke:3:1-20

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* And in [the ] fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar , Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea , and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee , and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the ] Trachonitus country , and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene -- * Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests -- the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness . * And he came into all the country around Jordan , proclaiming the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins , * as 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 . * Every valley shall be filled , and every mountain and hill shall be brought low , and the crooked shall be straight , and the rough ways [shall be ] made smooth . * And all flesh shall see the salvation of God . * Then he said to the crowd that came forth to be baptized by him , O generation of vipers ! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? * Therefore bring forth fruits worthy of repentance , and do not begin to say within yourselves , We have Abraham for [our ] father . For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones . * And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees . Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire . * And the people asked him , saying , What shall we do then ? * He answered and said to them , He who has two coats , let him give to him who has none . And he who has food , let him do likewise . * And tax-collectors also came to be baptized and said to him , Teacher , what shall we do ? * And he said to them , Continue to do no more than that commanded to you . * And the soldiers also asked of him , saying , And what shall we do ? And he said to them , Do not forcibly extort anyone , nor accuse [any ] falsely . And be content with your wages . * And as the people were in expectation , and all men mused in their hearts concerning John , lest perhaps he was the Christ , * John answered all , saying , I indeed baptize you with water , but He who is mightier than I comes , the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to loose . He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire , * whose fan [is ] in His hand , and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His storehouse . But He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire . * And then indeed exhorting many things , he proclaimed the gospel to the people . * But Herod the tetrarch (being reproved by him on account of Herodias , his brother Philip 's wife , and for all [the ] evils which Herod had done ) * added still this above all , that he even shut John up in prison .

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