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Since many have attempted to set forth the story of those things of which we are fully persuaded

(exactly as they were delivered to us by those ministers of the word who saw them themselves from the beginning),

it seemed good to me also - once I had carefully investigated all things from the beginning - to write to you of them from point to point, most noble Theophilus,

so that you might acknowledge the certainty of those things of which you have been instructed.

In the time of Herod, King of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the class of Abijah. And his wife was among the daughters of Aaron. And her name was Elizabeth.

Both were righteous before God and walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, without reproof.

And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren. And both were well-advanced in age.

And it so happened that as he executed the priest’s office before God (as per his class),

the lot fell to him to burn incense when he went into the Temple of the Lord, according to the custom of the priest’s office.

10 And the whole multitude of the people were outside in prayer while the incense was burning.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the Altar of Incense.

12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Fear not, Zacharias. For your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son. And you shall call his name, John.

14 “And you shall have joy and gladness. And many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

16 “And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to their Lord God.

17 “For he shall go before Him 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 a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Then Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is of a great age.”

19 And the angel answered, and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I am sent to speak to you, and to show you these good tidings.

20 “And behold, you shall be silent, and unable to speak, until the day that these things are done, because you did not believe my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.”

21 Now the people waited for Zacharias. And they marveled that he remained so long in the Temple.

22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them. Then, they perceived that he had seen a vision in the Temple. For he made signs to them and remained silent.

23 And it happened that when the days of his office were fulfilled, he departed to his own house.

24 And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself for five months, saying,

25 “Thus has the Lord dealt with me, in the days on when he looked on me, to take from me my rebuke among man.”

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

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel went in to her, and said, “Hail, you who are freely beloved. The Lord is with you. You are blessed among women.”

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and thought what kind of greeting that should be.

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not fear, Mary. For you have found favor with God.

31 “For lo, you shall conceive in your womb, and bear a Son, and shall call His Name, Jesus.

32 “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give to Him the throne of his father David.

33 “And He shall reign over the House of Jacob forever. And of His Kingdom shall be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I do not know man?”

35 And the angel answered, and said to her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. Therefore, also, that Holy Thing which shall be born by you, shall be called the Son of God.

36 “And behold, your cousin, Elizabeth. She has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is her sixth month, who was called barren.

37 “For with God shall nothing be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the servant of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word.” So, the angel departed from her.

39 And Mary arose in those days and quickly went into the hill country, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby sprang in her belly. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

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

43 “And how can it be that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 “For lo, as soon as I heard the voice of your greeting in my ears, the baby in my belly sprang for joy!

45 “And blessed is she who believed. For those things shall be completed, which were told her from the Lord.

46 Then Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.

47 “And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

48 “For He has looked on the poor degree of His servant. For behold, from now on all ages shall call me blessed.

49 “Because He Who is mighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His Name.

50 “And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.

51 “He Who showed strength with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 “He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted those of low degree.

53 “He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty.

54 “He has upheld Israel, His servant, to be mindful of His mercy,

55 “(as He has spoken to our fathers – that is, to Abraham and his seed) forever.”

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months. After which, she returned to her own house.

57 Now, Elizabeth’s time came for her to be delivered. And she brought forth a Son.

58 And her neighbors and cousins heard tell how the Lord had showed His great mercy upon her. And they rejoiced with her.

59 And it was so that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the baby. And they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

60 But his mother answered, and said, “Not so. But he shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “There is no one in your family that is named with this name.”

62 Then they made signs to his father, asking how he would like him called.

63 So he asked for writing tablets, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they all marveled.

64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue. And he spoke and praised God.

65 Then fear came on all those who lived near them. And all these words were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66 And all those who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child shall this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 Then his father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people!

69 “And He has raised up the Horn of Salvation unto us, in the House of His servant David,

70 “as He spoke by the mouth of His Holy Prophets. Who were, since the world began, saying,

71 ‘deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us.’

72 “So that He might show mercy towards our fathers, and remember His Holy Covenant -

73 “the oath, which He swore to our father, Abraham -

74 “that he would grant to us. So that we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, should serve him without fear

75 “all the days of our life, in holiness and righteousness before him.

76 “And you, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Most High. For you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

77 “to give knowledge of salvation to His people, by the remission of their sins

78 “through the tender mercy of our God (whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us),

79 “to give light to those who sit in darkness (and in the shadow of death), and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit. And he was in the wilderness until the day came that he should show himself to Israel.

Introduction(A)

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first(B) were eyewitnesses(C) and servants of the word.(D) 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) so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.(H)

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

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. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.(K) But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,(L) 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