LUKE 1
1 Seeing that many have attempted to arrange an account about the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as the Word’s eyewitnesses and ministers delivered them to us from the beginning, 3 it also seemed right to me – having tracked everything meticulously from the start – to write you a systematic account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may be confident of the reliability of the things which were explained to you.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. He had a wife, also, from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commands and statutes of the Lord. 7 They had no child because Elizabeth was barren and they had both seen many days.
8 Now it happened during his priestly duties as he was carrying out his daily tasks before God, 9 that, according to the priestly custom, he was chosen by lot to burn incense when he entered into the temple of the Lord. 10 (And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.) 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Upon seeing him, Zechariah was startled and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, because your appeal has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 And you will have joy and celebration, and many will rejoice at his birth 15 for he will be great in the Lord’s sight. And he absolutely must not drink wine or alcohol – indeed, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb 16 – and he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go ahead before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to return the hearts of fathers to children, and the obstinate to the insight of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I make sense of this? For I am an old man, and my wife has also accumulated quite a few days!” 19 So in reply the angel said, “I am Gabriel, the one standing before God, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. 20 So take note: you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things occur, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
21 Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were surprised that he took so long in the temple. 22 Then when he came out he wasn’t able to speak to them, so they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was gesturing to them but remained mute. 23 And when the days of his service were fulfilled, he left and went home.
24 Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived. But she hid herself for five months, saying, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me in the days when he took notice of me, to take away my disgrace among people!”
26 Then in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a town in Galilee called Nazareth 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, from the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 So upon going in to her the angel said, “Celebrate, O favoured one! The Lord is with you! You are blessed among women.” 29 Nonetheless, when she saw him she was thoroughly shaken by what he said, and she was wondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 So the angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace from God! 31 So listen now: you will conceive in your womb and you will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. 32 This boy will be great, and he will be called son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 So he will reign over the house of Jacob into the ages, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have never been intimate with a man?” 35 In reply the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and so the one to be born will be called holy – the Son of God. 36 Note this as well: your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age – indeed, for her who was called barren, this is her sixth month – 37 for nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 So Mary said, “Here I am, the slave of the Lord! May it be to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
39 In these days, Mary, having arisen, had gone with urgency into the hill country into a town in Judea 40 where she entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she cried out with a loud voice, and said,
“You have been blessed among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And how is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?!
44 For indeed, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy!
45 Yes, blessed is she who has believed
that there will be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord!”
46 Then Mary said,
“My soul amplifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit is overjoyed in God my Saviour,
48 because he has looked upon the humble status of his slave!
For – wow! – from now on all generations will consider me blessed,
49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me –
yes, holy is his name!
50 And his mercy is towards those who fear him
for generations of generations.
51 He has done powerfully with his arm
and has scattered the arrogant in the understanding of their hearts.
52 He has pulled down authorities from thrones
and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
but the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has sustained his child Israel,
for his mercy to be remembered –
55 just as he spoke to our fathers;
to Abraham and his seed – into the Age!”
56 So Mary stayed with her for three months, then she returned to her home.
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth’s delivery, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbours and relatives heard how the Lord had displayed his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 When the eighth day arrived they came to circumcise the child, and they were referring to him by his father’s name, Zechariah. 60 But his mother said in reply, “No way! Instead he will be called John.” 61 And they told her, “There are none of your relatives who who go by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father concerning what he wanted to call him. 63 And he asked for a small writing tablet and he wrote to tell them, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Then straight away his mouth was unlocked, and also his tongue, and he was speaking, blessing God. 65 And fear came upon all their neighbours, and all these matters were discussed in all the hill country of Judea. 66 And every person who heard pondered in their heart, saying, “Who then will this child be?” for the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and brought redemption for his people,
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his child David
70 – just as he said through the mouth of the holy ones from the age of his prophets –
71 salvation from our enemies,
and from the hand of all those who hate us,
72 to fulfil mercy with our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
74 which was to grant us a fearless rescue out of the hand of our enemies
to serve him 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all of our days.
76 “And you, O child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go ahead before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the compassionate mercy of our God,
through which the sunrise from on high has visited us
79 – to shine on those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death –
of the one to guide their feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child was growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the deserts until the day of his commissioning to Israel.