Luke 1
1 Many have taken on the work of putting together an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
To his Excellency, Theophilus. Many attempts have been already made to draw up an account of those events which have reached their conclusion among us,
2 just as they were passed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
just as they were reported to us by those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and afterward became bearers of the message.
3 So it seemed good to me also, because I have accurately investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
And, therefore, I also, since I have investigated all these events with great care from their very beginning, have resolved to write a connected history of them for you,
4 so that you might know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
in order that you may be able to satisfy yourself of the accuracy of the story which you have heard from the lips of others.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zechariah, from the division of Abijah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
In the reign of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division called after Abijah. His wife, whose name was Elizabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron.
6 They were both righteous before God, obeying all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
They were both righteous people, who lived blameless lives, guiding their steps by all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old by this time.
But they had no child, Elizabeth being barren; and both of them were advanced in years.
8 Now it came about that Zechariah was in God's presence, carrying out the priestly duties in the order of his division.
One day, when Zechariah was officiating as priest before God, during the turn of his division,
9 According to the customary way of choosing which priest would serve, he had been chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense.
it fell to him by lot, in accordance with the practice among the priests, to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense;
10 The whole crowd of people was praying outside at the hour when the incense was burned.
and, as it was the Hour of Incense, the people were all praying outside.
11 Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him and stood at the right side of the incense altar.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right of the Altar of Incense.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and fear fell on him.
Zechariah was startled at the sight and was awe-struck.
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. You will call his name John.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, whom you will call by the name John.
14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
He will be to you a joy and a delight; and many will rejoice over his birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he will not drink any wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth,
16 Many of the people of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.
and will reconcile many of the Israelites to the Lord their God.
17 He will go before the face of the Lord 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 righteous—to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”
He will go before him in the spirit and with the power of Elijah, to reconcile fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and so make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is very old.”
“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, to bring you this good news.
“I am Gabriel,” the angel answered, “who stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 Behold! You will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place. This is because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at the right time.”
And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when this takes place, because you did not believe what I said, though my words will be fulfilled in due course.”
21 Now the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was spending so much time in the temple.
Meanwhile the people were watching for Zechariah, wondering at his remaining so long in the Temple.
22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the temple. He kept on making signs to them and remained silent.
When he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision there. But Zechariah kept making signs to them, and remained dumb.
23 It came about that when the days of his service were over, he went to his house.
And, as soon as his term of service was finished, he returned home.
24 After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and for five months she kept herself hidden. She said,
After this his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and lived in seclusion for five months.
25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked at me with favor in order to take away my shame before people.”
“The Lord has done this for me,” she said, “he has shown me kindness and taken away the public disgrace of childlessness under which I have been living.”
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth,
Six months later the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph. He belonged to the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
to a maiden there who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. Her name was Mary.
28 He came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Gabriel came into her presence and greeted her, saying, “You have been shown great favor – the Lord is with you.”
29 But she was very confused by his words and she wondered what kind of greeting this could be.
Mary was much disturbed at his words, and was wondering to herself what such a greeting could mean,
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
when the angel spoke again, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 See, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You will call his name 'Jesus.'
And now, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
The child will be great and will be called ‘Son of the Most High,’ and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David,
33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.” (aiōn g165)
and he will reign over the descendants of Jacob for ever; And to his kingdom there will be no end.” (aiōn g165)
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen, since I have not slept with any man?”
“How can this be?” Mary asked the angel. “For I have no husband.”
35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will come over you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
“The Holy Spirit will descend on you,” answered the angel, “and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; and therefore the child will be called ‘holy,’ and ‘Son of God.’
36 See, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. This is the sixth month for her, she who was called barren.
And Elizabeth, your cousin, is herself also expecting a son in her old age; and it is now the sixth month with her, though she is called barren;
37 For nothing will be impossible for God.”
for no promise from God will fail to be fulfilled.”
38 Mary said, “See, I am the female servant of the Lord. Let it be for me according to your message.” Then the angel left her.
“I am the servant of the Lord,” exclaimed Mary. “Let it be with me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
39 Then Mary arose in those days and quickly went into the hill country, to a city in Judea.
Soon after this Mary set out, and made her way quickly into the hill-country, to a town in Judah;
40 She went into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
and there she went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
41 Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb jumped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child moved within her, and Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 She raised her voice and said loudly, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
and cried aloud, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is your unborn child!
43 Why has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
But how have I this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For see, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.
For, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child moved within me with delight!
45 Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were told her from the Lord.”
Happy indeed is she who believed that the promise which she received from the Lord would be fulfilled.”
46 Mary said, “My soul praises the Lord,
And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,
47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior.
and my spirit delights in God my Savior,
48 For he has looked at the low condition of his female servant. For see, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
for he has looked with favor on his humble servant girl. From now on all generations will call me blessed!
49 For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and his name is holy.
“For the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy lasts from generation to generation for those who fear him.
He has mercy on those who revere him in every generation.
51 He has displayed strength with his arm; he has scattered those who were proud about the thoughts of their hearts.
“Mighty are the deeds of his arm! He has scattered the self-satisfied proud,
52 He has thrown down princes from their thrones and he has raised up those of low condition.
he has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and he uplifts the humble,
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent away empty.
he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has given help to Israel his servant, so as to remember to show mercy
“He has stretched out his hand to his servant Israel, ever mindful of his mercy,
as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants for ever.” (aiōn g165)
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her house.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned to her home.
57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to deliver her baby and she gave birth to a son.
When Elizabeth’s time came, she gave birth to a son;
58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
and her neighbors and relatives, hearing of the great goodness of the Lord to her, came to share her joy.
59 Now it happened on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child. They would have called him “Zechariah,” after the name of his father.
A week later they met to circumcise the child, and were about to call him Zechariah after his father,
60 But his mother answered and said, “No. He will be called John.”
when his mother spoke up, “No, he is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”
“You have no relation of that name!” they exclaimed;
62 They made signs to his father as to how he wanted him to be named.
and they made signs to the child’s father, to find out what he wished the child to be called.
63 His father asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” They all were astonished at this.
Asking for a writing tablet, he wrote the words – ‘His name is John.’ Everyone was surprised
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed. He spoke and praised God.
and immediately Zechariah recovered his voice and the use of his tongue, and began to bless God.
65 Fear came on all who lived around them. All these matters were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea.
All their neighbors were awe-struck at this, and throughout the hill-country of Judea the whole story was much talked about.
66 All who heard them stored them in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child become?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
All who heard it kept it in mind, asking one another – “What can this child be destined to become?” For the Power of the Lord was with him.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, speaking under inspiration, said:
68 “Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to help and he has accomplished redemption for his people.
“Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who has visited his people and wrought their deliverance,
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
and has raised up for us the strength of our salvation in the house of his servant David –
as he promised by the lips of his holy prophets of old – (aiōn g165)
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
salvation from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us,
72 He will do this to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
showing mercy to our ancestors, and mindful of his sacred covenant.
73 the oath that he spoke to Abraham our father.
This was the oath which he swore to our ancestor Abraham –
74 He swore to grant to us that we, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies, would serve him without fear,
that we should be rescued from the hands of our enemies,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
and should serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness, in his presence all our days.
76 Yes, and you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his paths, to prepare people for his coming,
And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to make ready his way,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.
to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 This will happen because of the tender mercy of our God, because of which the sunrise from on high will come to help us,
through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn will break on us from heaven,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He will do this to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 Now the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilds until the time came for his appearance before Israel.
