3
1 In the shenat chamesh esreh (15th year) of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governing Yehudah, when Herod* was tetrarch of the Galil, and when Philippos the brother of Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, and at the same time Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 And when, during the same historical period, Anan and Caiapha were Kohanim Gedolim, then it was that the dvar Hashem came to† Yochanan Ben Zecharyah bamidbar (in the wilderness). 3 And Yochanan went into all the surrounding region of the Yarden darshenen a tevilah of teshuva for the selichat avon, 4 As it has been written in the sefer divrei Yeshayah Hanavi, KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR‡(A voice of one shouting in the wilderness): Prepare the Derech Hashem(the Way of the L-rd). Make his paths straight! 5 KOL GEY YINNASE VKHOL HAR VGIVAH YISHPALU (Every valley will be filled in and every mountain and hill will be leveled off), VHAYAH HEAKOV LEMISHOR VHARKHASIM LVIKAH (The crooked will be made straight, the rough paths made into smooth roads); 6 VRAU CHOL BASAR ES YESHU'AT ELOHEINU (and all basar will see the salvation of our G-d).§
7 Therefore, Yochanan was saying to the multitudes coming out to have the mikveh mayimʼs tevilah supervised by him, You banim of nachashim, who warned you to flee from the charon af* [Hashem] habah (the coming burning wrath [of Hashem])? 8 Therefore, produce p'ri tov l'teshuva (fruit worthy of repentance), and do not begin to presume within yourselves, saying, We have the zechut Avot (merit of the Fathers) of Avraham Avinu, for, I say to you, that Hashem is able from these avanim (stones) to raise up banim to Avraham Avinu. 9 And already the ax is laid at the shoresh haetzim (the root of the trees). Therefore, every etz not producing pri tov is cut down and is thrown into the Eish.
10 And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, What then should we do? 11 And in reply, Yochanan was saying to them, Let the one having two kaftans share with the one having none, and let the one having okhel (food) do likewise. 12 Now came also mochesim (tax collectors) to receive the tevilah of teshuva, and they said to him, Rabbi, what should we do? 13 And Yochanan said to them, Collect nothing more than the amount having been commanded you. 14 And chaiyalim (soldiers) as well were asking him, What should we do also? And Yochanan said to them, Extort kesef from no one, and let there be no lashon hora, and be satisfied with your loin (wages).
15 As the Am [Berit] were filled with expectation, and all were wondering in their levavot (hearts) concerning Yochanan, whether perhaps he might be the Moshiach, 16 Yochanan answered everyone, saying, I give you a tevilah with a mikveh mayim, but Hu HaBah (He Who Comes)† has more chozek (strength) than me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will give you a tevilah with the Ruach Hakodesh and with Eish. 17 The winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the MOTZ (chaff) he will burn up with an EISH LO TIKHBEH (fire not [ever] extinguished).
18 Therefore, with many other devarim Yochanan was exhorting them, preaching the Besuras HaGeulah to the Am [Berit]. 19 Now Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by Yochanan about Herodias, the wife of his brother, and about all resha'im (evil) which he did, 20 Herod added this above all: he locked up Yochanan in the beit hasohar (prison).
21 And it came about while all the Am [Berit] were receiving the tevilah, and when Yehoshua also had been given the tevilah and was davening, Shomayim was opened, 22 And the Ruach Hakodesh descended in demut gashmit as a yonah upon Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach; and then came a bat kol out of Shomayim, saying, ATAH BNI AHUVI ASHER BCHA CHAFATSTI.
23 And Yehoshua himself was about shaloshim shanah, at the beginning of his avodas kodesh ministry, being the ben (as it was being thought of Yosef) ben Eli, 24 Ben Mattat, ben Levi, ben Malki, ben Yannai, ben Yosef, 25 Ben Mattityahu, ben Amotz, ben Nachum, ben Chesli, ben Naggai, 26 Ben Machat, ben Mattityahu, ben Shimi, ben Yosef, ben Yodah, 27 ben Yochanan, ben Reisha, ben Zerubavel, ben Shealtiel, ben Neri, 28 Ben Malki, ben Addi, ben Kosam, ben Elmadan, ben Er, 29 Ben Yehoshua, ben Eli'ezer, ben Yorim, ben Mattat, ben Levi, 30 Ben Shim'on, ben Yehudah, ben Yosef, ben Yonam, ben Elyakim, 31 Ben Malah, ben Manah, ben Mattatah, ben Natan, ben Dovid, 32 Ben Yishai, ben Oved, ben Boaz, ben Salmon, ben Nachshon, 33 ben Amminadav, ben Admin, ben Arni, ben Chetzron, ben Peretz, ben Yehudah, 34 Ben Ya'akov, ben Yitzchak, ben Avraham, ben Terach, ben Nachor, 35 ben Serug, ben Reu, ben Peleg, ben Ever, ben Shelah, 36 Ben Keinan, ben Arpachshad, ben Shem, ben Noach, ben Lemekh, 37 Ben Metushelach, ben Chanokh, ben Yered, ben Mahalalel, ben Keinan, 38 Ben Enosh, ben Shet, ben Adam, ben HaElohim.
* 3:1 Antipas † 3:2 the kohen-navi ‡ 3:4 Isa 40:3 § 3:6 Isa 40:3-5; Ps 98:2; Isa 42:16; 52:10 * 3:7 Hashem † 3:16 i.e., Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach