Luke 1

1Many people have set their hands to putting together an account of the events that have been brought to completion among us. 2They wrote them down as they were passed on to us by those who saw them from the beginning and became servants of the word. 3So I too, having followed the whole course of things closely from the start, decided to write them out for you in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you can be sure of the things you were taught.

5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. His wife was also descended from Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6Both of them were righteous in God’s eyes, and they lived by every commandment and requirement of the Lord with no fault to be found in them. 7But they had no children, because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were getting on in years.

8Once, when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9he was chosen by lot, as the custom of the priesthood was, to go into the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10At the hour of the incense offering, the whole crowd of people was praying outside. 11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was shaken, and fear came over him. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14He will be your joy and delight, and many people will be glad that he was born. 15For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17He will go ahead of him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and so make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” 19The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20And now you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words. They will come true at their proper time.”

21Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was staying so long in the sanctuary. 22When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept making signs to them, but he remained unable to speak. 23When his days of service were over, he went home.

24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she stayed in seclusion. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has looked on me with favor and taken away my disgrace among people.”

26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a town of Galilee, 27to a virgin who was engaged to Joseph, a man of the house of David. Her name was Mary. 28He came to her and said, “Greetings! God has shown you his favor. The Lord is with you.” 29His words disturbed her deeply, and she kept asking herself what such a greeting could mean. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. 31You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great, and he will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his forefather, 33and he will be king over the house of Jacob for all ages. There will be no end to his kingdom.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this happen? I have never been with a man.” 35The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. So the child to be born will be holy, and will be called the Son of God. 36Your relative Elizabeth, too, has conceived a son in her old age. People called her barren, yet this is her sixth month. 37For with God, no promise will prove impossible.” 38Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

39In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah. 40She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41As Mary’s greeting reached Elizabeth, the child in her womb leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42She cried out in a loud voice, “Of all women, you are the most blessed, and blessed is the child you carry! 43Who am I, that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me? 44The moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped with delight. 45Blessed is the woman who believed that what the Lord said to her would be carried out!”

46And Mary said, “My soul declares the greatness of the Lord, 47and my spirit has found its delight in God my Savior, 48because he has looked with care on his servant in her lowly state. From this day people of every generation will call me blessed, 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is his name, 50and his mercy reaches from one generation to the next for those who fear him.

51He has acted with the strength of his arm; he has scattered the proud, with all the schemes of their hearts. 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 with nothing. 54He has come to the aid of his servant Israel and has not forgotten to show mercy, 55as he said to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

56Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months before returning home.

57Elizabeth’s time to give birth came, and she bore a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard how greatly the Lord had shown his mercy to her, and they celebrated with her.

59When the child was eight days old, they came to circumcise him, and they wanted to give him his father’s name, Zechariah. 60But his mother answered, “No. His name is to be John.” 61“But no one in your family is called by that name,” they said to her. 62Then they motioned to his father, asking what name he wanted the child to have. 63He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was astonished. 64In that instant Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, giving praise to God. 65Awe came over all their neighbors, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard about them took them to heart and asked, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the Lord’s hand was clearly with him.

67Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to help his people and set them free. 69He has raised up a mighty power to save us in the house of his servant David, 70as he promised long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets: 71salvation from our enemies and from the grip of all who hate us. 72So he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant, 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to grant us 74that we, rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his ways, 77to make known to his people the salvation that comes through the forgiveness of their sins. 78Because our God is full of tender mercy, the dawn from on high will visit us, 79to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to direct our steps onto the road of peace.”

80As the child grew, he became strong in spirit, and he lived in the desert places until the day he showed himself to Israel.