Luke 3:7-20

English Standard Version

⁷ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ^(A)“You brood of ^(B)vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(C)the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits ^(D)in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ^(E)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from ^(F)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. ^(G)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, ^(H)“What then shall we do?” ¹¹ And he answered them, ^(I)“Whoever has two tunics^[a] is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” ^12 (J)Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, ^(K)what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, ^(L)“Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And we, ^(M)what shall we do?” And he said to them, ^(N)“Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your ^(O)wages.”

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, ^(P)whether he might be ^(Q)the Christ, ^16 (R)John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but ^(S)he who is mightier than I is coming, ^(T)the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you ^(U)with the Holy Spirit and ^(V)fire. ¹⁷ His ^(W)winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to ^(X)gather the wheat into his barn, ^(Y)but the chaff he will burn with ^(Z)unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So ^(AA)with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹ But ^(AB)Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that ^(AC)he locked up John in prison.