¹⁵ Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, ^(A)whether he himself perhaps was the ^[a]Christ, ^16 (B)John responded to them all, saying, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you ^[b]with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His ^(C)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with ^(D)unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. ¹⁹ But when ^(E)Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him regarding ^(F)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and regarding all the evil things which ^(G)Herod had done, ²⁰ Herod also added this to them all: ^(H)he locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

^21 (I)Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while He was ^(J)praying, heaven was opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “^(K)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

^23 (L)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of ^(M)Joseph, ^[c]the son of ^[d]Eli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of ^[e]Hesli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, ^(N)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of ^[f]Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of ^[g]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of ^[h]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ^32 (O)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of ^[i]Salmon, the son of ^[j]Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of ^[k]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, ^(P)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of ^[l]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of ^[m]Heber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, ^(Q)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

²⁸ You yourselves ^[a]are my witnesses that I said, ‘^(A)I am not the ^[b]Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’