Luke 1
1 Seeing, indeed, that, many, had taken in hand to re-arrange for themselves a narrative, concerning the facts which have been fully confirmed amongst us, —
Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
2 according as they who from the beginning became eye-witnesses and attendants of the Word delivered them unto us,
just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 it seemed good, even to me, having closely traced from the outset all things accurately, to write unto thee, in order, most excellent Theophilus:
Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4 that, as touching the matters which thou hadst been taught by word of mouth, thou mightest obtain full knowledge, of the certainty.
so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
5 It came to pass, in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, that there was a certain priest, by name Zachariah, of the daily course of Abia; and that he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and, her name, was Elizabeth.
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron.
6 Now they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and righteous appointments of the Lord, blameless;
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
7 and they had no child, inasmuch as Elizabeth was barren, and, both, had become, advanced in their days.
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 But it came to pass, as he was doing priestly service in the order of his daily course, before God,
One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 according to the custom of his priesthood, it fell to his lot to offer incense, entering into the Temple of the Lord;
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 and, all the throng of the people, was praying outside, at the hour of the incense offering.
And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 And there appeared unto him a messenger of the Lord, standing on the right hand of the altar of incense;
Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 and Zachariah was troubled when he beheld, and, fear, fell upon him.
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 But the messenger said unto him—Do not fear, Zachariah! Inasmuch as thy supplication hath been hearkened to, —and, thy wife Elizabeth, shall bring forth a son to thee, and thou shalt call his name, John;
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14 And there shall be joy to thee and exulting, and, many, over his birth, shall rejoice;
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 For he shall be great before the Lord, and, wine and strong drink, in nowise may he drink, and, with Holy Spirit, shall he be filled, already, from his mother’s womb;
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
16 And, many of the Sons of Israel, shall he turn towards the Lord their God;
Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
17 And, he, shall go before him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, —To turn the hearts of fathers unto children, and the unyielding, into the prudence of the righteous, and to prepare, for the Lord, a people made ready.
And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 And Zachariah said unto the messenger—Whereby, shall I know this? for, I, am, aged, and, my wife, advanced in her days.
“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
19 And the messenger, answering, said unto him—I, am Gabriel, —he that standeth near before God; and have been sent forth to speak unto thee, and to deliver the joyful message unto thee, as touching these things.
“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 And lo! thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak until the day when these things shall come to pass; because thou didst not believe in my words, —the which shall be fulfilled for their season.
And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
21 And the people were expecting Zachariah, and began to marvel that he should tarry in the Temple;
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
22 and when he came forth he was not able to speak unto them, and they perceived that, a vision, he had seen in the Temple, —and, he, continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb.
When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, when the days of his public ministration were fulfilled, that he departed unto his house.
And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 And, after these days, Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she disguised herself five months, saying—
After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 Thus, for me, hath the Lord wrought, —in the days in which he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.
“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
26 Now, in the sixth month, was the messenger Gabriel sent forth from God, into a city of Galilee, the name of which was Nazareth, —
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 unto 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 pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 and entering in unto her, he said—Joy to thee, favoured one! The Lord, be with thee!
The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 And, she, at the word, was greatly troubled, and began to deliberate, of what kind, this salutation, might be.
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 And the messenger said unto her—Do not fear, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God, —
So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And lo! thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name, Jesus:
Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
32 the same, shall be great, and, Son of the Most High, shall be called, and the Lord God, will give unto him, the throne of David his father, —
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob, unto the ages, 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 end!” (aiōn g165)
34 But Mary said unto the messenger—How, shall this thing be, seeing that, a man, I know not?
“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 And answering, the messenger said unto her—The Holy Spirit, shall come upon thee, and, the power of the Most High, shall overshadow thee; wherefore, even that which is to be born, Holy, shall be called, Son of God.
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 And lo! Elizabeth thy kinswoman, even she, hath conceived a son in, her old-age; —and, this month, is, the sixth, to her, the so-called barren one;
Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.
37 Because no declaration from God, shall be void of power.
For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 And Mary said—Lo! the handmaid of the Lord! Might it come to pass unto me, according to thy declaration. And the messenger departed from her.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
39 And Mary, arising, in these days, journeyed into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, —
In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 and entered into the house of Zachariah, and saluted Elizabeth.
where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it came to pass that, as Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit, —
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 and lifted up her voice with loud exclamation, and said—Blessed, art thou among women, and, blessed, is the fruit of thy womb;
In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And, whence, to me is, this, That the mother of my Lord should come, unto me?
And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For lo! as the sound of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe in my womb, leapt in exultation.
For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And, happy, is she who hath believed, that there shall be a perfecting of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
46 And Mary said—My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath exulted upon God my saviour;
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 Because he hath looked upon the humbling of his handmaid; for lo! from the present time, all the generations, will pronounce me happy.
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 Because he that is mighty hath done for me great things, and, holy, is his name;
For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 And his mercy is unto generations and generations, to them who revere him;
His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 He hath wrought strength with his arm, He hath scattered men arrogant in the intention of their heart;
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He hath deposed potentates from thrones, and uplifted the lowly;
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 The hungry, hath he filled with good things, and, the wealthy, hath he sent empty away;
He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He hath laid hold of Israel his servant, to be mindful of mercies:
He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 According as he spake unto our fathers, —To Abraham, and to his seed, —Unto times age-abiding. (aiōn g165)
as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” (aiōn g165)
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
57 And, to Elizabeth, was the time fulfilled, that she should be bringing forth, —and she gave birth to a son.
When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 And her neighbours and kinsfolk heard, that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and they were rejoicing with her.
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child, and were calling it, after the name of its father, Zachariah.
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
60 And his mother, answering, said—Nay! but he shall be called, John.
But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 And they said unto her—There is, no one from among thy kindred, who is called by this name!
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 And they began making signs unto his father, as to what he might be wishing it to be called.
So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 And, asking for a small tablet, he wrote, saying—John, is his name! and they marvelled all.
Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 And his mouth was opened instantly, and his tongue [loosed], and he began to speak, blessing, God.
Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 And fear came upon all the neighbours themselves; and, throughout all the hill-country of Judaea, were all these matters being much talked of;
All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.
66 and all who heard laid [them] up in their hearts, saying—What then shall his child be? for, even the hand of the Lord, was with him.
And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
67 And, Zachariah his father, was filled with Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: —
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 Blessed, be the Lord, the God of Israel! Because he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people,
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us, In the house of David his servant:
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past, (aiōn g165)
71 Of salvation from among our foes, and out of the hand of all them that hate us:
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform mercy with our fathers, and to be mindful of his holy covenant, —
to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, To grant us,
the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 without fear, from the hand of enemies rescued, to be rendering divine service unto him,
deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 in lovingkindness and righteousness before him, all our days.
in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 And, even thou, child, prophet of the Most High, shalt be called, —for thou shall march on before the Lord, to prepare his ways,
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
77 Giving a knowledge of salvation unto his people, by a remission of their sins.
to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the yearning compassion of the mercy of our God, wherein shall visit us a day-dawn from on high, —
because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 To shine on them who, in the darkness and shade of death, are sitting, to guide our feet into a way of peace.
to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And, the child, went on growing, and being strengthened in spirit, and was in the deserts, until the day he was pointed out unto Israel.
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.
