3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 1 when Pontius Pilate 2 was governor of Judea, and Herod 3 was tetrarch 4 of Galilee, and his brother Philip 5 was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias 6 was tetrarch of Abilene, 3:2 during the high priesthood 7 of Annas and Caiaphas, the word 8 of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 9 3:3 He 10 went into all the region around the Jordan River, 11 preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 12
3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice 13 of one shouting in the wilderness: 14
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 15 his paths straight.
3:5 Every valley will be filled, 16
and every mountain and hill will be brought low,
and the crooked will be made straight,
and the rough ways will be made smooth,
3:6 and all humanity 17 will see the salvation of God.’” 18