Luke 1

1Since many have set their hands to drawing up a narrative of the events that have been brought to fulfillment among us,

2exactly as those who were eyewitnesses from the start and became servants of the word passed them on to us,

3I also have resolved, having followed all these things accurately from their source, to write them down for you in sequence, most excellent Theophilus,

4so that you may have full assurance about the matters in which you were instructed.

5During the reign of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest called Zechariah, who belonged to Abijah’s division of priests. His wife came from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

6The two of them were righteous before God, and they lived without fault according to all the Lord’s commandments and requirements.

7Yet they had no child, since Elizabeth was infertile, and both of them were far along in years.

8One day, while he was carrying out his priestly duties before God in the regular turn of his division,

9the lot fell to him, as was the priests’ custom, to enter the temple of the Lord and offer incense.

10Meanwhile, at the hour of the incense, the entire gathering of the people was outside praying.

11An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.

12Seeing him, Zechariah was shaken, and fear swept over him.

13But the angel told him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son for you, and you will give him the name John.

14Joy and exultation will be yours, and many will celebrate his birth,

15because he will be great before the Lord. He is never to drink wine or any other intoxicating drink, and from the time he is in his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

16He will turn many Israelites back to the Lord their God.

17He himself will go ahead of him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children and to bring the disobedient around to the way of thinking of the righteous, and so to prepare for the Lord a people made ready.”

18Zechariah said to the angel, “How am I to know this? I am an old man, and my wife is far along in years.”

19The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to talk with you and announce this good news to you.

20Now you will be unable to speak—you will remain silent until the day these things take place—because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled when their time comes.”

21The people, meanwhile, kept watching for Zechariah and were puzzled that he was staying in the temple so long.

22When he did come out, he was unable to say anything to them, and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept gesturing to them and stayed mute.

23Once his term of service was finished, he went home.

24Afterward his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept out of sight. She said,

25“The Lord has done this for me now, in the days when he took notice of me and removed my shame among people.”

26In the sixth month God sent the angel Gabriel to a Galilean town named Nazareth,

27to a virgin promised in marriage to a man called Joseph, who was from the house of David; the virgin was named Mary.

28The angel came into her presence and said, “Greetings, you who have received grace! The Lord is with you.”

29She was deeply disturbed by his words and kept asking herself what sort of greeting this was.

30The angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor in God’s eyes.

31Listen: you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus.

32This one will be great; he will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.

33He will rule as king over the house of Jacob for all ages, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”

34Mary asked the angel, “How is this going to happen, since I have not been with any man?”

35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. That is why the holy child to be born will be called Son of God.

36Look, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son too, in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called infertile.

37For no word from God will be powerless.”

38Mary said, “Here I am, the Lord’s servant. May it be done to me as you have said.” Then the angel departed from her.

39In those days Mary set out and traveled quickly into the hill country, to a town of Judah,

40and there she went into Zechariah’s house and gave her greeting to Elizabeth.

41The moment Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42She cried out with a great shout, “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43Why has this been granted to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

44For you see, the moment the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped with gladness.

45How blessed is the woman who believed that the Lord’s words to her would be brought to completion!”

46Then Mary said, “My soul declares the greatness of the Lord,

47and my spirit is overjoyed in God my Savior,

48because he has taken notice of his servant in her lowliness. Yes, from this time on every generation will call me blessed,

49because the Mighty One has done great things for me. His name is holy,

50and his mercy reaches those who fear him, generation after generation.

51He has acted powerfully with his arm; he has scattered those whose hearts are full of proud thoughts.

52He has pulled the mighty down from their thrones and raised up the lowly.

53The hungry he has filled with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty-handed.

54He has come to the aid of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy,

55in keeping with what he said to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56Mary remained with her for about three months, and then she went back home.

57Elizabeth’s time to give birth arrived, and she had a son.

58Her neighbors and relatives learned how the Lord had shown her abundant mercy, and they celebrated with her.

59When the eighth day came, they arrived to circumcise the child, and they meant to name him Zechariah, after his father.

60His mother, however, answered, “No! He will be called John.”

61They told her, “Nobody in your family goes by that name.”

62So they motioned to his father to learn what he wanted the child to be named.

63He requested a small tablet and wrote on it, “John is his name.” Everyone was astonished.

64At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to talk, blessing God.

65Fear came on everyone living around them, and all these events were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.

66Everyone who heard about them turned them over in their hearts and asked, “So what will this child turn out to be?” For the Lord’s hand was indeed with him.

67Then Zechariah, the child’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and brought about their redemption.

69For us he has raised a horn of salvation in the house of David his servant,

70as he declared through the mouth of his holy prophets from ages past:

71salvation from our foes, and out of the hand of all those who hate us,

72to deal mercifully with our ancestors and to keep in mind his holy covenant,

73the oath he swore to Abraham our father:

74to grant that we, delivered from the grasp of our enemies, may serve him fearlessly

75in holiness and righteousness in his presence for all our days.

76As for you, child, you will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go on ahead of the Lord to prepare his ways,

77to make salvation known to his people through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the heartfelt mercy of our God, by which the rising light from on high will visit us

79to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death’s shadow, and to direct our feet onto the road of peace.”

80The child kept growing and gaining strength in spirit, and he remained in the wilderness until the day he was presented publicly to Israel.