1Now in the fifteenthyear of the reign of TiberiusCaesar, when 1PontiusPilate was governor of Judea, and 2Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brotherPhilip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
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in the highpriesthood of 3Annas and 4Caiaphas, 5the word of Godcame to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
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And he came into all6the districtaround the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
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as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "7THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKEREADY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHSSTRAIGHT.
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'8EVERYRAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERYMOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHTLOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME*STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGHROADSSMOOTH;
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9AND ALLFLESH WILL 10SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.' "
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So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "11You brood of vipers, whowarned you to flee from the wrath to come?
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"Thereforebearfruits in keeping with repentance, and 12do not begin to say to yourselves, '13We haveAbraham for our father,' for I say to you that from thesestonesGod is able to raise up children to Abraham.
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"Indeed the axe is alreadylaid at the root of the trees; so14everytree that does not beargoodfruit is cutdown and thrown into the fire."