1 Nowe in the fifteenth yeere of the reigne of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being gouernour of Iudea, and Herod being Tetrarch of Galile, and his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea, and of the countrey of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the Tetrarch of Abilene, 2 (When Annas and Caiaphas were the hie Priestes) the worde of God came vnto Iohn, the sonne of Zacharias in the wildernes. 3 And hee came into all the coastes about Iordan, preaching the baptisme of repentance for the remission of sinnes, 4 As it is written in the booke of the sayings of Esaias the Prophet, which saith, The voyce of him that crieth in the wildernes is, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make his paths straight. 5 Euery valley shalbe filled, and euery mountaine and hill shall be brought lowe, and crooked things shalbe made straight, and the rough wayes shalbe made smoothe. 6 And all flesh shall see the saluation of God. 7 Then said he to the people that were come out to be baptized of him, O generations of vipers, who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring foorth therefore fruites worthy amendment of life, and beginne not to say with your selues, We haue Abraham to our father: for I say vnto you, that God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham. 9 Nowe also is the axe layed vnto the roote of the trees: therefore euery tree which bringeth not foorth good fruite, shalbe hewen downe, and cast into the fire. 10 Then the people asked him, saying, What shall we doe then? 11 And he answered, and said vnto them, He that hath two coates, let him part with him that hath none: and hee that hath meate, let him doe likewise. 12 Then came there Publicanes also to bee baptized, and saide vnto him, Master, what shall we doe? 13 And hee saide vnto them, Require no more then that which is appointed vnto you. 14 The souldiers likewise demaunded of him, saying, And what shall we doe? And he saide vnto them, Doe violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages. 15 As the people waited, and all men mused in their heartes of Iohn, if he were not that Christ, 16 Iohn answered, and saide to them all, In deede I baptize you with water, but one stronger then I, commeth, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to vnloose: hee will baptize you with the holy Ghost, and with fire. 17 Whose fanne is in his hande, and hee will make cleane his floore, and will gather the wheate into his garner, but the chaffe will hee burne vp with fire that neuer shalbe quenched. 18 Thus then exhorting with many other things, he preached vnto the people. 19 But when Herod the Tetrarch was rebuked of him, for Herodias his brother Philips wife, and for all the euils which Herod had done, 20 He added yet this aboue all, that he shut vp Iohn in prison. 21 Nowe it came to passe, as all the people were baptized, and that Iesus was baptized and did pray, that the heauen was opened: 22 And the holy Ghost came downe in a bodily shape like a doue, vpon him, and there was a voyce from heauen, saying, Thou art my beloued Sonne: in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Iesus himselfe began to bee about thirtie yeere of age, being as men supposed the sonne of Ioseph, which was the sonne of Eli, 24 The sonne of Matthat, the sonne of Leui, the sonne of Melchi, the sonne of Ianna, the sonne of Ioseph, 25 The sonne of Mattathias, the sonne of Amos, the sonne of Naum, the sonne of Esli, the sonne of Nagge, 26 The sonne of Maath, the sonne of Mattathias, the sonne of Semei, the sonne of Ioseph, the sonne of Iuda, 27 The sonne of Ioanna, the sonne of Rhesa, the sonne of Zorobabel, the sonne of Salathiel, the sonne of Neri, 28 The sonne of Melchi, the sonne of Addi, the sonne of Cosam, the sonne of Elmodam, the sonne of Er, 29 The sonne of Iose, the sonne of Eliezer, the sonne of Iorim, the sonne of Matthat, the son of Leui, 30 The sonne of Simeon, the sonne of Iuda, the sonne of Ioseph, the sonne of Ionan, the sonne of Eliacim, 31 The sonne of Melea, the sonne of Mainan, the sonne of Mattatha, the sonne of Nathan, the sonne of Dauid, 32 The sonne of Iesse, the sonne of Obed, the sonne of Booz, the sonne of Salmon, the sonne of Naasson, 33 The sonne of Aminadab, the sonne of Aram, the sonne of Esrom, the sonne of Phares, the sonne of Iuda, 34 The sonne of Iacob, the sonne of Isaac, the sonne of Abraham, the sonne of Thara, the sonne of Nachor, 35 The sonne of Saruch, the sonne of Ragau, the sonne of Phalec, the sonne of Eber, the sonne of Sala, 36◆ The sonne of Cainan, the sonne of Arphaxad, the sonne of Sem, the sonne of Noe, the sonne of Lamech, 37 The sonne of Mathusala, the sonne of Enoch, the sonne of Iared, the sonne of Maleleel, the sonne of Cainan, 38 The sonne of Enos, the sonne of Seth, the sonne of Adam, the sonne of God.
Luke 3 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Addi
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Cosam.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:28
Amos
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Nahum.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:25
Annas
Named as high priest alongside Caiaphas when John began preaching, and as the father-in-law of Caiaphas, to whom Jesus was brought first.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:2; John 18:13; John 18:24
Caiaphas
The high priest that year, son-in-law of Annas, in whose court the council met to plot against Jesus and to whom Jesus was sent bound.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 26:3; Matthew 26:57; Luke 3:2
Cainan
Luke 3:36 lists Cainan as the son of Arphaxad and father of Shelah; he is absent from the Hebrew Genesis 11 list, which has Arphaxad as Shelah's father directly.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:36
Cosam
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Elmadam.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:28
Eliezer
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Jorim.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:29
Er
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Joshua.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:28
Esli
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Naggai.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:25
Lysanias
Named in Luke 3:1 as tetrarch of Abilene in the fifteenth year of Tiberius.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:1
Maath
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Mattathias.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:26
Mattatha
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Nathan.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:31
Mattathias
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Amos.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:25
Mattathias
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Semein.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:26
Matthat
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Levi.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:24
Matthat
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Levi.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:29
Melchi
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Addi.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:28
Melchi
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Jannai.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:24
Melea
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Menna.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:31
Neri
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Melchi.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:27
Obed
Son of Boaz and Ruth, and grandfather of King David.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 4:13-22; 1 Chron. 2:12; Matt. 1:5; Luke 3:32
Philip
Called the brother of Herod and tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis in the fifteenth year of Tiberius.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:1
Pontius Pilate
Roman governor of Judea who questioned Jesus, found no guilt in Him, released Barabbas, and gave Him up to be crucified and permitted Joseph of Arimathea to take the body.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 27:2; Luke 3:1; John 18:38
Rhesa
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Zerubbabel.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:27
Simeon
Listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as the son of Judah.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:30
Tiberius Caesar
The emperor in the fifteenth year of whose reign the word of God came to John the Baptist.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:1
Cross references (32)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Luke 23:6–11; Genesis 49:10; Luke 23:24; Acts 4:27; Matthew 27:2
- 2 Acts 4:6; Jonah 1:1; Luke 1:80; Micah 1:1; John 18:24
- 3 Luke 1:77; Matthew 3:5–6; Acts 13:24; Matthew 3:11; Acts 19:4
- 4 Isaiah 40:3–5; John 1:23; John 1:26–36; Luke 1:76–79; John 1:7
- 5 Isaiah 40:4; Isaiah 42:16; Isaiah 45:2; Isaiah 49:11; Ezekiel 17:24
- 6 Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 40:5; Psalm 98:2–3; Isaiah 49:6; Romans 10:18
- 7 Matthew 23:33; Matthew 12:34; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Hebrews 6:18; 1 John 3:8
- 8 Ezekiel 18:27–31; Acts 26:20; Isaiah 1:16–18; Galatians 5:22–24; Matthew 21:43
- 9 Matthew 7:19; John 15:6; Isaiah 10:33–34; Luke 13:9; Matthew 3:10
- 10 Acts 2:37; Luke 3:14; Acts 16:30; Acts 9:6; Luke 3:12
- 11 Isaiah 58:7–11; 1 John 3:17; 1 Timothy 6:18; Luke 18:22; 1 John 4:20
- 12 Luke 7:29; Luke 18:13; Luke 15:1–2; Matthew 21:31–32
- 13 Luke 19:8; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Isaiah 1:16–17; Micah 6:8
- 14 Hebrews 13:5–6; Exodus 20:16; 1 Timothy 6:8–10; Philippians 4:11; Exodus 23:1
- 15 John 10:24; John 3:28–29; John 1:19–28
- 16 Matthew 3:11; Acts 1:5; Acts 11:15–16; John 1:33; John 1:26
- 17 Micah 4:12; Jeremiah 15:7; Matthew 13:30; Psalm 1:4; Psalm 21:9–10
- 18 Acts 2:40; John 1:34; John 3:29–36; John 1:29; John 1:15
- 19 Matthew 14:3–4; Luke 3:1; Mark 6:17–18; Proverbs 15:12; Matthew 11:2
- 20 2 Chronicles 24:17–22; 2 Chronicles 36:16; Revelation 16:6; Matthew 23:31–33; 2 Kings 24:4
- 21 John 1:32–34; Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 5:16; John 12:27–28; Mark 1:9–11
- 22 Psalm 2:7; 2 Peter 1:17–18; Isaiah 42:1; John 1:32; Luke 9:34–35
- 23 Luke 4:22; Matthew 13:55; Numbers 4:3; John 6:42; Acts 1:1
- 27 Matthew 1:12
- 31 1 Chronicles 3:5; 2 Samuel 5:14; Zechariah 12:12; 1 Chronicles 14:4
- 32 Ruth 4:18–22; Isaiah 11:1–2; Matthew 1:3–6; 1 Chronicles 2:10–15; Acts 13:22–23
- 33 1 Chronicles 9:4; 1 Chronicles 2:4–5; 1 Chronicles 2:9–10; Ruth 4:12; Genesis 38:29
- 34 Genesis 21:3; Joshua 24:2; Matthew 1:2; 1 Chronicles 1:34; Acts 7:8
- 35 Genesis 11:12–21; Genesis 10:24–25
- 36 Genesis 10:21–22; Genesis 5:28–32; Genesis 9:1; Hebrews 11:7; Genesis 11:10–26
- 37 1 Chronicles 1:1–3; Genesis 5:6–28
- 38 Genesis 2:7; Isaiah 64:8; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Corinthians 15:47; Genesis 4:25–5:3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- Genesis 5 and 11: why the patriarchs’ ages differ
In the Greek Septuagint most patriarchs in Genesis 5 and 11 become fathers about 100 years later than in the Hebrew text, and Genesis 11 adds a second Cainan, whom St Luke also names (Luke 3:36). The result is a world history over a thousand years longer. The Byzantine calendar was built on the Greek numbers. No doctrine depends on either set.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… but a sword." They also maintain that John indicated the same thing when he said, "The fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge the floor, and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable." By this declaration He set forth the faculty of Horos.
… pleasant it is to me, O Lord, to confess unto Thee, by what inward goads Thou didst subdue me, and how Thou didst make me low, bringing down the mountains and hills of my imaginations, and didst straighten my crookedness, and smooth my rough ways; and by what means Thou also didst subdue that brother of my heart, Alypius, unto …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
So likewise John: "I am not meet to loose the latchet of His shoe;" because of this he was the "friend of the Bridegroom," and the hand which he affirmed to be unworthy to touch His shoes, this did Christ draw unto His own head.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Let him that hath two coats give to him that hath none: the teacher was worthy of credit, since he was also the first to practise what he taught: he was not ashamed to speak, for conscience hindered not his tongue: and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
"For into one Spirit," it says, "we were all baptized in one body." And in harmony with this are the passages: "You shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost," and "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." But no one on this account would be justified in calling that baptism a perfect baptism wherein only the name of the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)