Luke 1
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,
As you know, many others have attempted to put down in writing the things that have been fulfilled that involve us.
2 even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
They based their accounts on evidence from the earliest eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word,
3 it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus;
and so I also decided that since I have followed these things very carefully from the beginning, it would be a good idea to write out an accurate account of all that happened.
4 that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed.
I have done this dear Theophilus so you can be certain that what you were taught is completely reliable.
5 There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest called Zechariah, who came from the Abijah priestly division. He was married to Elizabeth, who was also descended from Aaron the priest.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
They both did what was right before God, being careful to follow all the Lord's commandments and regulations.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were [now] well stricken in years.
They had no children because Elizabeth wasn't able to have any, and they were both growing old.
8 Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
While Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, on behalf of his priestly division,
9 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
he was chosen by lot according to priestly custom to enter the Temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.
During the time of offering incense a large crowd of people were praying outside.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw [him], and fear fell upon him.
When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became terrified.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
But the angel told him, “Don't be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call him John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
He will bring you joy and gladness, and many will celebrate his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
He will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will refuse to drink wine or other alcoholic drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he's born.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God.
He will turn many Israelites back to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient [to walk] in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared [for him].
He will go ahead of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the fathers back to thinking about their children, and to turn those who are rebellious back to a right understanding—to prepare a people ready for the Lord.”
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
“How can I be sure about this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I'm an old man, and my wife is getting old too.”
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings.
“I am Gabriel,” the angel replied. “I stand in God's presence, and I was sent to speak to you and give you this good news.
20 And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
But since you didn't believe what I told you, you'll become dumb, unable to speak, until the appointed time when my words come true.”
21 And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled while he tarried in the temple.
Outside the people were waiting for Zechariah, wondering why he was taking so long in the Temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb.
When eventually he came out, he wasn't able to speak to them. They realized he'd seen a vision in the Temple, for though he could make gestures, he was completely dumb.
23 And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house.
After he'd finished his time of service, he went back home.
24 And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She stayed at home for five months.
25 Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon [me], to take away my reproach among men.
“The Lord has done this for me,” she said, “now that he's taken away my disgrace in the eyes of others.”
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
In the sixth month of her pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a young girl called Mary who lived in the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
She was engaged to a man named Joseph.
28 And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee.
The angel greeted her. “You are very privileged,” he told her. “The Lord is with you.”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.
Mary was very puzzled at what he said, and wondered what this greeting meant.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
“Don't worry, Mary,” the angel went on, “for God has shown his graciousness to you.
31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You shall call him Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
He will be very great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (aiōn g165)
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never come to an end.” (aiōn g165)
34 And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
“How is this possible?” Mary asked. “I'm still a virgin.”
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God.
He replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby who is to be born is holy, and will be called the Son of God.
36 And behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren.
And Elizabeth, your relative, even she is pregnant in her old age. The woman that people said couldn't have children is already six months pregnant.
37 For no word from God shall be void of power.
Nothing is impossible for God.”
38 And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
“Here I am, ready to be the Lord's servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me just as you said.” Then the angel left her.
39 And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;
A little while later, Mary got herself ready and hurried up into the hills of Judea, to the town where
40 and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.
Zechariah's house was. She called out to Elizabeth as she went in.
41 And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost;
As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's voice, the baby jumped for joy inside her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb.
and cried out in a loud voice, “How blessed you are among women, and how blessed will be the child born to you!
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me?
Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?
44 For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
As soon as I heard you call out in greeting, my baby jumped for joy inside me.
45 And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.
How fortunate you are, because you are convinced that the Lord will do what he has promised you!”
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Mary replied, “How I praise the Lord!
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
I am so happy with God my Savior,
48 For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
because he decided that I, his servant, was worthy of his consideration, despite my humble background. From now on every generation will say I was blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name.
God Almighty has done great things for me; his name is holy.
50 And his mercy is unto generations and generations On them that fear him.
His mercy lasts for generation after generation to those who respect him.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.
With his power he has broken to pieces those who arrogantly think they're so clever.
52 He hath put down princes from [their] thrones, And hath exalted them of low degree.
He tears the powerful down from their thrones, and elevates those who are humble.
53 The hungry he hath filled with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away.
He fills the hungry with good things to eat, and he sends the rich away empty-handed.
54 He hath holpen Israel his servant, That he might remember mercy
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering him in mercy,
just as he promised our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants for ever.” (aiōn g165)
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house.
Mary stayed with her for three months and then returned home.
57 Now Elisabeth’s time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby and she gave birth to a son.
58 And her neighbours and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her.
Her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had showed her great kindness, and they celebrated together with her.
59 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
Eight days later they came to circumcise the boy. They planned to call him Zechariah after his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
“No,” Elizabeth said. “He shall be called John.”
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
“But there's nobody among your relatives who has this name,” they told her.
62 And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
Through gestures they asked Zechariah, the boy's father, what he wanted to call his son.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all.
Zechariah motioned for something to write on. To everyone's surprise he wrote, “His name is John.”
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue [loosed], and he spake, blessing God.
Immediately he could speak again, and he started praising God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
All those living nearby were in awe at what had happened, and the news spread throughout the hill country of Judea.
66 And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Everyone who heard the news wondered what it meant. “What will the little boy grow up to be?” they asked, for it was clear he was very special to God.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
Zechariah, his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke this prophecy:
68 Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people,
“The Lord, the God of Israel, he is wonderful, for he has come to his people and set them free.
69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David
He has given us a great Savior from the line of his servant David,
70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began), (aiōn g165)
as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. (aiōn g165)
71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
He promised to save us from our enemies, from those who hate us.
72 To shew mercy towards our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant;
He was merciful to our fathers, remembering his holy agreement—
73 The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father,
the promise that he made to our father Abraham.
74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear,
He gives us freedom from fear and rescues us from our enemies,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
so we can serve him by doing what is good and right for our whole lives.
76 Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;
Even though you are only a small child, you will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way,
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people In the remission of their sins,
providing knowledge of salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,
Through God's caring kindness to us, heaven's dawn will break upon us
79 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace.
to shine on those who live in darkness and under the shadow of death, and to guide us along the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
The boy John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the time came for his public ministry to Israel.
