Luke 3 opens John the Baptist’s wilderness ministry - “make ready the way of the Lord” - and closes with the sky splitting open at Jesus’ baptism and the Father’s voice: “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.”
Full sung version coming soon.
Lyrics
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea
The word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias In the wilderness He came into all the region around the Jordan Preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins
The voice of one crying in the wilderness Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight Every valley will be filled, every mountain and hill will be brought low The crooked will become straight and the rough ways smooth
You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance Don’t begin to say amongst yourselves, We have Abraham for our father For I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones
Even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit Is cut down and thrown into the fire The multitudes asked him, What then must we do
He answered them, He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none He who has food, let him do likewise Tax collectors also came to be baptised Collect no more than that which is appointed to you
Soldiers also asked him, What about us, what must we do Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully Be content with your wages As the people were in expectation, all men reasoned in their hearts
Concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ John answered them all, I indeed baptise you with water But he comes who is mightier than I The strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen
He will baptise you in the Holy Spirit and fire His winnowing fan is in his hand And he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor And will gather the wheat into his barn But he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire
When all the people were baptised, Jesus also had been baptised And was praying, the sky was opened And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him And a voice came out of the sky, saying You are my beloved Son, in you I am well pleased
Listen
Luke 3 sung by Psalm Selah. The whole Bible, one chapter at a time.