Luke 3:3–10

³John traveled throughout the region around the Jordan River. He told people about a baptism of repentance^afor the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As the prophet Isaiah wrote in his book, 

“A voice cries out in the desert: 

‘Prepare the way for the Lord! 

Make his paths straight! 

⁵Every valley will be filled. 

Every mountain and hill will be leveled. 

The crooked ways will be made straight. 

The rough roads will be made smooth. 

⁶All people will see the salvation that God gives.’ ” 

⁷Crowds of people were coming to be baptized by John. He would say to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from God’s coming anger? ⁸Do those things that prove that you have turned to God and have changed the way you think and act. Don’t say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.’ I guarantee that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. ⁹The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.” 

¹⁰The crowds asked him, “What should we do?”