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Nowin the fifteenthyear of the reign of TiberiusCaesar,PontiusPilate being governor of Judaea,andHerod being tetrarch[a] of Galilee,andhisbrotherPhiliptetrarch of Ituraeaand of the region of Trachonitis,andLysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
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AnnasandCaiaphasbeing the high priests, the word of GodcameuntoJohn the son of Zachariasin the wilderness.
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And he cameintoall the country aboutJordan,preaching the baptism of repentancefor the remission of sins;
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As it is writtenin the book of the words of Esaias the prophet,saying, The voice of one cryingin the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,makehispathsstraight.
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Everyvalley shall befilled, andeverymountainandhill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be madestraight,and the roughways shall be madesmooth;
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Thensaid he to the multitude that came forth to be baptizedofhim, O generation of vipers,who hath warnedyou to fleefrom the wrath to come?
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Bring forththereforefruitsworthy of repentance,andbeginnot to saywithinyourselves, We haveAbraham to our father:for I say unto you,ThatGod is ableofthesestones to raise upchildren unto Abraham.
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Andnowalso the axe is laidunto the root of the trees:everytreetherefore which bringethnotforthgoodfruit is hewn down, andcastinto the fire.
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And the peopleaskedhim,saying, What shall we dothen?