Luke1

¹Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,

²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

³it seemed fitting to me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in an orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus;

⁴so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

⁵In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

⁶They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

⁷And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in years.

⁸Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,

⁹according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

¹¹Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

¹²Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.

¹⁴You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth.

¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.

¹⁶And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years.”

¹⁹The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

²⁰And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

²¹And meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

²²But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he repeatedly made signs to them, and remained speechless.

²³When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.

²⁴Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying,

²⁵“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people.”

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was.

³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

³⁴But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.

³⁶And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month.

³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.”

³⁸And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

³⁹Now at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

⁴⁰and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

⁴³And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

⁴⁴For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

⁴⁶And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,

⁴⁷And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

⁴⁸For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant; For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

⁵⁰And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.

⁵¹He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things, And sent the rich away empty-handed.

⁵⁴He has given help to His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,

⁵⁵Just as He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

⁵⁷Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

⁵⁸Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

⁵⁹And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after his father.

⁶⁰And yet his mother responded and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.”

⁶¹And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

⁶²And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

⁶³And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

⁶⁴And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking in praise of God.

⁶⁵And fear came on all those who lived around them; and all these matters were being talked about in the entire hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

⁶⁸“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

⁶⁹And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David—

⁷⁰Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times—

⁷¹Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷²To show mercy to our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,

⁷³The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,

⁷⁴To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Would serve Him without fear,

⁷⁵In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, child, also will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

⁷⁷To give His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise 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.”

⁸⁰Now the child grew and was becoming strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.