Luke 1
1 Since, indeed, many have attempted to set in order a narrative of the things that have been completed among us,
As a number of attempts have been made to put together in order an account of those events which took place among us,
2 just as they have been handed on to those of us who from the beginning saw the same and were ministers of the word,
As they were handed down to us by those who saw them from the first and were preachers of the word,
3 so it seemed good to me also, having diligently followed everything from the beginning, to write to you, in an orderly manner, most excellent Theophilus,
It seemed good to me, having made observation, with great care, of the direction of events in their order, to put the facts in writing for you, most noble Theophilus;
4 so that you might know the truthfulness of those words by which you have been instructed.
So that you might have certain knowledge of those things about which you were given teaching.
5 There was, in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the section of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the order of Abijah; and he had a wife of the family of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 Now they were both just before God, progressing in all of the commandments and the justifications of the Lord without blame.
They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong.
7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both had become advanced in years.
And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old.
8 Then it happened that, when he was exercising the priesthood before God, in the order of his section,
Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, the lot fell so that he would offer incense, entering into the temple of the Lord.
And as was the way of the priests, he had to go into the Temple to see to the burning of perfumes.
10 And the entire multitude of the people was praying outside, at the hour of incense.
And all the people were offering prayers outside, at the time of the burning of perfumes.
11 Then there appeared to him an Angel of the Lord, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar.
12 And upon seeing him, Zechariah was disturbed, and fear fell over him.
And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him.
13 But the Angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son to you. And you shall call his name John.
But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John.
14 And there will be joy and exultation for you, and many will rejoice in his nativity.
And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth.
16 And he will convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, so that he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the incredulous to the prudence of the just, so as to prepare for the Lord a completed people.”
And he will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of fathers to their children, and wrongdoers to the way of righteousness; to make ready a people whose hearts have been turned to the Lord.
18 And Zechariah said to the Angel: “How may I know this? For I am elderly, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And Zacharias said to the angel, How may I be certain of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far on in years.
19 And in response, the Angel said to him: “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have been sent to speak to you, and to proclaim these things to you.
And the angel, answering, said, I am Gabriel, whose place is before God; I have been sent to say these words to you and to give you this good news.
20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak, until the day on which these things shall be, because you have not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
Now, see, you will be without voice or language till the day when these things come about, because you had not faith in my words, which will have effect at the right time.
21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they wondered why he was being delayed in the temple.
And the people were waiting for Zacharias and were surprised because he was in the Temple for such a long time.
22 Then, 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 was making signs to them, but he remained mute.
And when he came out he was not able to say anything, and they saw that he had seen a vision in the Temple; and he was making signs to them without words.
23 And it happened that, after the days of his office were completed, he went away to his house.
And when the days of his work in the Temple were ended, he went back to his house.
24 Then, after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she hid herself for five months, saying:
After that time, Elisabeth, being certain that she was to become a mother, kept herself from men's eyes for five months, saying,
25 “For the Lord did this for me, at the time when he decided to take away my reproach among men.”
The Lord has done this to me, for his eyes were on me, to take away my shame in the eyes of men.
26 Then, in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.
To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.
28 And upon entering, the Angel said to her: “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”
And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you.
29 And when she had heard this, she was disturbed by his words, and she considered what kind of greeting this might be.
But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words?
30 And the Angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God.
And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval.
31 Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name: JESUS.
And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus.
32 He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.
He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father:
33 And he will reign in the house of Jacob for eternity. And his kingdom shall have no end.” (aiōn g165)
He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (aiōn g165)
34 Then Mary said to the Angel, “How shall this be done, since I do not know man?”
And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man?
35 And in response, the Angel said to her: “The Holy Spirit will pass over you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And because of this also, the Holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of God.
And the angel in answer said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you, and so that which will come to birth will be named holy, Son of God.
36 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has herself also conceived a son, in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her who is called barren.
Even now Elisabeth, who is of your family, is to be a mother, though she is old: and this is the sixth month with her who was without children.
37 For no word will be impossible with God.”
For there is nothing which God is not able to do.
38 Then Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” And the Angel departed from her.
And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say. And the angel went away.
39 And in those days, Mary, rising up, traveled quickly into the hill country, to a city of Judah.
Then Mary got up and went quickly into the high lands, to a town of Judah;
40 And she entered into the house of Zechariah, and she greeted Elizabeth.
And went into the house of Zacharias and took Elisabeth in her arms.
41 And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
And when the voice of Mary came to the ears of Elisabeth, the baby made a sudden move inside her; then Elisabeth was full of 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.
And she said with a loud voice: May blessing be on you among women, and a blessing on the child of your body.
43 And how does this concern me, so that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
44 For behold, as the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
For, truly, when the sound of your voice came to my ears, the baby in my body made a sudden move for joy.
45 And blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished.”
Happy will she be who had faith that the things which the Lord has said to her will be done.
46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord.
And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God;
47 And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Savior.
My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.
48 For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed.
For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me.
49 For he who is great has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is from generation to generations for those who fear him.
His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him.
51 He has accomplished powerful deeds with his arm. He has scattered the arrogant in the intentions of their heart.
With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts.
52 He has deposed the powerful from their seat, and he has exalted the humble.
He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Those who had no food he made full of good things; the men of wealth he sent away with nothing in their hands;
54 He has taken up his servant Israel, mindful of his mercy,
His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever,
As he gave his word to our fathers. (aiōn g165)
56 Then Mary stayed with her for about three months. And she returned to her own house.
And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house.
57 Now the time for Elizabeth to give birth arrived, and she brought forth a son.
Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son.
58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and so they congratulated her.
And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy.
59 And it happened that, on the eighth day, they arrived to circumcise the boy, and they called him by his father’s name, Zechariah.
And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name;
60 And in response, his mother said: “Not so. Instead, he shall be called John.”
But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John.
61 And they said to her, “But there is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”
And they said, Not one of your relations has that name.
62 Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him to be called.
And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him.
63 And requesting a writing tablet, he wrote, saying: “His name is John.” And they all wondered.
And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised.
64 Then, at once, his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosened, and he spoke, blessing God.
And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God.
65 And fear fell upon all of their neighbors. And all these words were made known throughout all the hill country of Judea.
And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea.
66 And all those who heard it stored it up in their heart, saying: “What do you think this boy will be?” And indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he prophesied, saying:
And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words:
68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For he has visited and has wrought the redemption of his people.
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free,
69 And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant,
Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
(As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times, ) (aiōn g165)
71 salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us,
Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us;
72 to accomplish mercy with our fathers, and to call to mind his holy testament,
To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word,
73 the oath, which he swore to Abraham, our father, that he would grant to us,
The oath which he made to Abraham, our father,
74 so that, having been freed from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship,
75 in holiness and in justice before him, throughout all our days.
In righteousness and holy living before him all our days.
76 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the face of the Lord: to prepare his ways,
And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways;
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of their sins,
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins,
78 through the heart of the mercy of our God, by which, descending from on high, he has visited us,
Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us,
79 to illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace.”
To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and he was strengthened in spirit. And he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel.
