1In the shenat chamesh esreh (15th year) of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governing Yehudah, when Herod ⁶²was 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,

2And when, during the same historical period, Anan and Caiapha were Kohanim Gedolim, then it was that the dvar Hashem came to ⁶³Yochanan Ben Zecharyah bamidbar (in the wilderness).

3And Yochanan went into all the surrounding region of the Yarden darshenen a tevilah of teshuva for the selichat avon,

4As it has been written in the sefer divrei Yeshayah Hanavi, KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR ⁶⁴(A voice of one shouting in the wilderness): Prepare the Derech Hashem(the Way of the L-rd). Make his paths straight!

5KOL 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);

6VRAU CHOL BASAR ES YESHU'AT ELOHEINU (and all basar will see the salvation of our G-d). ⁶⁵

7Therefore, 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 ⁶⁶[Hashem] habah (the coming burning wrath [of Hashem])?

8Therefore, 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.

9And 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.

10And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, What then should we do?

11And 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.

12Now came also mochesim (tax collectors) to receive the tevilah of teshuva, and they said to him, Rabbi, what should we do?

13And Yochanan said to them, Collect nothing more than the amount having been commanded you.

14And 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).

15As the Am [Berit] were filled with expectation, and all were wondering in their levavot (hearts) concerning Yochanan, whether perhaps he might be the Moshiach,

16Yochanan answered everyone, saying, I give you a tevilah with a mikveh mayim, but Hu HaBah (He Who Comes) ⁶⁷has 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.

17The 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).

18Therefore, with many other devarim Yochanan was exhorting them, preaching the Besuras HaGeulah to the Am [Berit].

19Now 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,

20Herod added this above all: he locked up Yochanan in the beit hasohar (prison).

21And 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,

22And 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.

23And 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,

24Ben Mattat, ben Levi, ben Malki, ben Yannai, ben Yosef,

25Ben Mattityahu, ben Amotz, ben Nachum, ben Chesli, ben Naggai,

26Ben Machat, ben Mattityahu, ben Shimi, ben Yosef, ben Yodah,

27ben Yochanan, ben Reisha, ben Zerubavel, ben Shealtiel, ben Neri,

28Ben Malki, ben Addi, ben Kosam, ben Elmadan, ben Er,

29Ben Yehoshua, ben Eli'ezer, ben Yorim, ben Mattat, ben Levi,

30Ben Shim'on, ben Yehudah, ben Yosef, ben Yonam, ben Elyakim,

31Ben Malah, ben Manah, ben Mattatah, ben Natan, ben Dovid,

32Ben Yishai, ben Oved, ben Boaz, ben Salmon, ben Nachshon,

33ben Amminadav, ben Admin, ben Arni, ben Chetzron, ben Peretz, ben Yehudah,

34Ben Ya'akov, ben Yitzchak, ben Avraham, ben Terach, ben Nachor,

35ben Serug, ben Reu, ben Peleg, ben Ever, ben Shelah,

36Ben Keinan, ben Arpachshad, ben Shem, ben Noach, ben Lemekh,

37Ben Metushelach, ben Chanokh, ben Yered, ben Mahalalel, ben Keinan,

38Ben Enosh, ben Shet, ben Adam, ben HaElohim.