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Luke 1
New American Standard Bible 1995

Introduction

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [a](A)accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who (B)from the beginning [b]were (C)eyewitnesses and [c](D)servants of (E)the [d]word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, (F)having [e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you (G)in consecutive order, (H)most excellent (I)Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been [f](J)taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 (K)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named [g]Zacharias, of the (L)division of [h]Abijah; and he had a wife [i]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both (M)righteous in the sight of God, walking (N)blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in [j]years.

8 Now it happened that while (O)he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot (P)to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer (Q)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And (R)an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and (S)fear [k]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(T)Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (U)you will [l]give him the name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will (V)drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [m]while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (W)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will (X)go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of (Y)Elijah, (Z)to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to (AA)make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For (AB)I am an old man and my wife is advanced in [n]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am (AC)Gabriel, who [o](AD)stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall 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 in their proper time.”

21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But 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 (AE)kept [p]making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she [q]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 (AF)take away my disgrace among men.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel (AG)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called (AH)Nazareth, 27 to (AI)a virgin [r]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, (AJ)of the [s]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [t]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, [u]favored one! The Lord [v]is with you.” 29 But she (AK)was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “(AL)Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you (AM)shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (AN)the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him (AO)the throne of His father David; 33 (AP)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (AQ)and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How [w]can this be, since I [x]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(AR)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AS)the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason (AT)the [y]holy Child shall be called (AU)the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and [z]she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For [aa](AV)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the [ab]bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now [ac]at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to (AW)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was (AX)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [ad]how has it happened to me, that the mother of (AY)my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And (AZ)blessed is she who [ae]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [af]by the Lord.”

The Magnificat

46 And Mary said:

“(BA)My soul [ag](BB)exalts the Lord,
47 And (BC)my spirit has rejoiced in (BD)God my Savior.
48 “For (BE)He has had regard for the humble state of His [ah]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me (BF)blessed.
49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 “(BG)And His mercy is [ai]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 “(BH)He has done [aj]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [ak]thoughts of their heart.
52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (BI)exalted those who were humble.
53 “(BJ)He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
[al]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (BK)As He spoke to our fathers,
(BL)To Abraham and his [am]descendants forever.”

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

John Is Born

57 Now the time [an]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [ao](BM)displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on (BN)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, [ap]after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but (BO)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they (BP)made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “(BQ)His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64 (BR)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all (BS)the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For (BT)the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zacharias (BU)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and (BV)prophesied, saying:

68 “(BW)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (BX)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (BY)horn of salvation for us
In the house of David (BZ)His servant—
70 (CA)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (CB)from of old—
71 [aq](CC)Salvation (CD)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (CE)To show mercy toward our fathers,
(CF)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (CG)The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 (CH)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the (CI)prophet of (CJ)the Most High;
For you will go on (CK)before the Lord to (CL)prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[ar]By (CM)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (CN)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (CO)To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (CP)way of peace.”

80 (CQ)And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:1 Or on which there is full conviction
  2. Luke 1:2 Lit became
  3. Luke 1:2 Or ministers
  4. Luke 1:2 I.e. gospel
  5. Luke 1:3 Or followed
  6. Luke 1:4 Or orally instructed in
  7. Luke 1:5 I.e. Zechariah
  8. Luke 1:5 Gr Abia
  9. Luke 1:5 I.e. of priestly descent
  10. Luke 1:7 Lit days
  11. Luke 1:12 Or fell upon
  12. Luke 1:13 Lit call his name
  13. Luke 1:15 Lit from
  14. Luke 1:18 Lit days
  15. Luke 1:19 Lit stand beside
  16. Luke 1:22 Or beckoning to or nodding to
  17. Luke 1:24 Lit was hidden
  18. Luke 1:27 Or betrothed; i.e. the first stage of marriage in Jewish culture, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night. More legal than engagement
  19. Luke 1:27 Lit house
  20. Luke 1:27 Gr Mariam; i.e. Heb Miriam; so throughout Luke
  21. Luke 1:28 Or woman richly blessed
  22. Luke 1:28 Or be
  23. Luke 1:34 Lit will
  24. Luke 1:34 Lit know no man
  25. Luke 1:35 Lit the holy thing begotten
  26. Luke 1:36 Lit this is the sixth month to her who
  27. Luke 1:37 Lit not any word
  28. Luke 1:38 I.e. female slave
  29. Luke 1:39 Lit in these days
  30. Luke 1:43 Lit from where this to me
  31. Luke 1:45 Or believed, because there will be
  32. Luke 1:45 Lit from
  33. Luke 1:46 Lit makes great
  34. Luke 1:48 I.e. female slave
  35. Luke 1:50 Lit unto generations and generations
  36. Luke 1:51 Lit might
  37. Luke 1:51 Lit thought, attitude
  38. Luke 1:54 Lit So as to remember
  39. Luke 1:55 Lit seed
  40. Luke 1:57 Lit was fulfilled
  41. Luke 1:58 Lit magnified
  42. Luke 1:59 Lit after the name of
  43. Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
  44. Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in
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Luke 1
New International Version

Introduction(A)

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first(B) were eyewitnesses(C) and servants of the word.(D) 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account(E) for you, most excellent(F) Theophilus,(G) 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.(H)

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea(I) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;(J) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.(K) 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,(L) 9 he was chosen by lot,(M) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.(N) 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.(O)

11 Then an angel(P) of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.(Q) 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.(R) 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,(S) Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.(T) 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,(U) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(V) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit(W) even before he is born.(X) 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord,(Y) in the spirit and power of Elijah,(Z) to turn the hearts of the parents to their children(AA) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(AB)

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?(AC) I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”(AD)

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.(AE) I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak(AF) until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs(AG) to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace(AH) among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel(AI) to Nazareth,(AJ) a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,(AK) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,(AL) Mary; you have found favor with God.(AM) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.(AN) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(AO) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(AP) 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom(AQ) will never end.”(AR)

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

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,(AS) and the power of the Most High(AT) will overshadow you. So the holy one(AU) to be born will be called[b] the Son of God.(AV) 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child(AW) in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”(AX)

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,(AY) 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(AZ) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(BA) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(BB) should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song(BC)

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord(BD)
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(BE)
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.(BF)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(BG)
49     for the Mighty One has done great things(BH) for me—
    holy is his name.(BI)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.(BJ)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(BK)
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(BL)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.(BM)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(BN)
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful(BO)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(BP) forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise(BQ) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”(BR)

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62 Then they made signs(BS) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”(BT) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(BU) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(BV) people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.(BW)

Zechariah’s Song

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(BX) and prophesied:(BY)

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(BZ)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(CA)
69 He has raised up a horn[c](CB) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David(CC)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(CD)
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(CE)
    and to remember his holy covenant,(CF)
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(CG)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him(CH) without fear(CI)
75     in holiness and righteousness(CJ) before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(CK) of the Most High;(CL)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(CM)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,(CN)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun(CO) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,(CP)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(CQ)

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d];(CR) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:1 Or been surely believed
  2. Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,
  3. Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.
  4. Luke 1:80 Or in the Spirit
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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

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