8. Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
9. Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10. So the crowds were asking him, “What then should we do?”
11. John answered them, “The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”
12. Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13. He told them, “Collect no more than you are required to.”
14. Then some soldiers also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” He told them, “Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your pay.”
15. While the people were filled with anticipation and they all wondered whether perhaps John could be the Christ,
16. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”
18. And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people.
19. But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds that he had done,
20. Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.
21. Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, the heavens opened,
22. and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”
23. So Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years old. He was the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,