Luke 3:4

³The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God. ⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. ⁵The LORD’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.”

²³He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’as Isaiah the prophet said.”

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins, ⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will visit us, ⁷⁹to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

¹⁰Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way of the people! Build up, build up the highway! Gather out the stones! Lift up a banner for the peoples.

²⁶John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. ²⁷He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” ²⁸These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold,^[+] the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ ³¹I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” ³²John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. ³³I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

³⁵Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

²⁸You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ ²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore my joy is made full. ³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹“He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. ³²What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. ³³He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. ³⁴For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. ³⁵The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. ³⁶One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys^[+] the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

⁷The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.

¹⁶He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁴He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.”

⁶He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”