1. It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of the Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene.
2. During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came upon John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
3. And he came into all the surrounding region of the Jordan, proclaiming an immersion of repentance for the removal of sins.
4. As it is written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Adonai, and make His paths straight.
5. Every valley shall be filled up and every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth,
6. and all humanity shall see the salvation of God.’”
7. Therefore John was saying to the crowds that came out to be immersed by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8. Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance; and don’t even begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’! For I tell you that from these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
9. Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees, so every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!”