3:1 Now 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 the region made up of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias being Tetrarch of Abilene,
3:2 in the high-priest hood of Annas and Caiaphas, the declaration of God came* to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3:3 And he came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the immersion* of repentance into the forgiveness of sins;
3:4 as it has been 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.
3:5 Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill will be humbled, and the crooked into straight and the rough ways into smooth.
3:6 And all flesh will be seeing the salvation of God.' {Isa 40:3-5}
3:7 Therefore, he was saying to the crowds who travel out to be immersed* by him, Offsprings of vipers! Who warned you* to flee from the future wrath?
3:8 Therefore produce* fruits worthy of repentance and do* not begin to say among yourselves, We have Abraham as our father; for* I say to you*, that God is able to lift up children to Abraham from these stones.
3:9 Now the ax is also already reserved toward the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which is not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
3:10 And the crowds asked him, saying, Therefore what will we do*?
3:11 And he answered and says to them, He who has two tunics, let him give one to the one who does not have, and he who has various foods, let him do* likewise.
3:12 But tax collectors also came to be immersed*, and they said to him, Teacher, what will we do*?
3:13 And he said to them, Appropriate* no more than what has been appointed for you*.
3:14 But the active soldiers were also asking him, saying, And we, what will we do*?
And he said to them, Intimidate* no one, nor cheat* anyone, and be* content with your* rations.
3:15 But the people are expecting, and all are reasoning in their hearts concerning John, maybe, he might be the Christ;
3:16 John answered, saying to them all, I indeed immerse* you* in water, but the mightier one than me is coming, the strap of whose shoes I am not sufficient to loose. He will immerse* you* in the Holy Spirit, and in fire;
3:17 whose winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will be thoroughly cleansing his threshing floor, and will be gathering the grain into his barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.
3:18 Therefore indeed, he was proclaiming the good-news to the people, encouraging them also with many other things.
{Mar 1:14a & Mat 4:12 & Luk 3:19-20 & Joh 4:1-4 Judea to Galilee.}
3:19 But Herod the Tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias his brother's wife and concerning all the evil things which Herod practiced,
3:20 also added this to them all, and locked up John in the prison.
{Mar 1:9-11 & Mat 3:13-17 Luk 3:21-22 Jordan east of Jericho, Spring 27 AD.}
3:21 Now it happened, while* all the people were immersed*; after Jesus was also immersed*, and while praying, the heaven opened,
3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form, like a dove upon him, and a voice came* from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son. I am delighted in you.
{Mat 1:1-17 & Luk 3:23-28 Genealogy.}
3:23 And he was approximately thirty years old, when beginning to teach, (being, as it was supposed, the son of Joseph). Although Jesus, himself was a descendant from Heli,
3:24 from Matthat, from Levi, from Melchi, from Jannai, from Joseph,
3:25 from Mattathias, from Amos, from Nahum, from Esli, from Naggai,
3:26 from Maath, from Mattathias, from Semein, from Joseph, from Joda,
3:27 from Joanan, from Rhesa, from Zerubbabel, from Shealtiel, from Neri,
3:28 from Melchi, from Addi, from Cosam, from Elmadam, from Er,
3:29 from Joses, from Eliezer, from Jorim, from Matthat, from Levi,
3:30 from Symeon, from Judas, from Joseph, from Jonam, from Eliakim,
3:31 from Melea, from Menna, from Mattatha, from Nathan, from David,
3:32 from Jesse, from Obed, from Boaz, from Salmon, from Nahshon,
3:33 from Amminadab, from Ram, from Hezron, from Perez, from Judah,
3:34 from Jacob, from Isaac, from Abraham, from Terah, from Nahor,
3:35 from Serug, from Reu, from Peleg, from Eber, from Shelah,
3:36 from Cainan, from Arphaxad, from Shem, from Noah, from Lamech,
3:37 from Methuselah, from Enoch, from Jared, from Mahalaleel, from Cainan,
3:38 from Enos, from Seth, from Adam, who was from God.
{Mar 1:12-13 & Mat 4:1-11 & Luk 4:1-13.}