Luke 3:1-13 ▼

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

2 Annas and Caiaphas being chief priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zachariah, in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the immersion of repentance in order to the remission of sins;

4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;

5 every ravine shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made level; and the crooked ways shall be made straight; and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

7 Therefore he said to the multitudes that came out to be immersed by him: Generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8 Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance. And begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

9 And now also the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not produce good fruit, is cut down and cast into the fire.

10 And the multitudes asked him, saying: What, then, shall we do?

11 He answered and said to them: He that has two coats, let him give to him that has none; and he that has food, let him do likewise.

12 And the publicans also came to be immersed, and they said to him: Teacher, what shall we do?

13 And he said to them: Exact no more than that which is appointed you.