Luke 1
1 Many have undertaken to compile an account of the events fulfilled among us,
2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 So it seemed good to me too, after carefully investigating everything from the beginning, to write it all down in an orderly way for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you were taught.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, from the division of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the Lord’s commandments and ordinances.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were advanced in years.
8 One day, as Zechariah was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense.
10 And the whole crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the incense altar.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear came over him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
14 He will bring you joy and delight, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 For he will be great before the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb.
16 He will turn many of the Israelites to the Lord their God.
17 He will go ahead of him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and so prepare for the Lord a people ready for him.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advanced in years.”
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God. I was sent to speak with you and bring you this good news.
20 And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their appointed time.”
21 The people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was taking so long in the sanctuary.
22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept making signs to them and remained mute.
23 When the days of his service were over, he returned home.
24 After those days, Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself out of sight for five months, saying,
25 “The Lord has done this for me in the days when he looked upon me, to take away my disgrace among people.”
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, from the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
29 She was troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this could be.
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God.
31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen, since I have no relations with a man?”
35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 And Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age. This is the sixth month for her, the one who was called barren.
37 For no word from God will be impossible.”
38 Mary said, “Here I am, the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
39 In those days Mary got up and hurried to the hill country, to a town in Judah.
40 She entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 She cried out loudly, “You are blessed among women, and blessed is the child in your womb!
43 How has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy in my womb.
45 Blessed is she who believed, because what was said to her by the Lord will be fulfilled.”
46 Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked upon the lowly state of his servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed,
49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is from generation to generation for those who fear him.
51 He has done mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has helped Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56 Mary stayed with her about three months, then returned to her home.
57 The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son.
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
60 But his mother answered, “No! He will be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, asking what he wanted the child to be called.
63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And everyone was amazed.
64 At once his mouth and tongue were opened, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 All their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the hill country of Judea people talked about all these things.
66 Everyone who heard kept these things in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
67 Zechariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has raised up for us a mighty Savior in the house of David, his servant,
70 as he spoke through the mouths of his holy prophets from long ago:
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us.
72 He has shown mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to Abraham our father, to grant us
74 that, rescued from the hands of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the deep mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will visit us,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until the day he was presented to Israel.
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