Luke 1
1 My noble [friend] Theophilus, many people saw the things that [Jesus] did while he was with us, from the time when he started [MTY] [his ministry]. They served God [by teaching people] the message [about the Lord Jesus]. Many of those who heard what they taught wrote down for us accounts of the things that [Jesus did from the time when] he began [his ministry].
Inasmuch as many took it in hand to present a history concerning these things which have been fulfilled among us,
as those being eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word have delivered unto us;
3 I myself have studied these accounts carefully. So I decided that it would be good for me also to write for you [(sg)] an accurate account of these matters.
it seemed good to me also, having followed carefully all things from the beginning, to write unto thee consecutively, O most noble Theophilus,
4 I want you to know the truth about what you have been taught {what others have taught you}.
in order that thou mayest know the certainty of the words concerning which thou hast been instructed.
5 When King Herod [the Great ruled] Judea [district], there was a [Jewish] priest named Zechariah. He belonged to the [group of priests called] the Abijah group. He and his wife Elizabeth were both descended from the [first priest of Israel], Aaron.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Ahijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.
6 [God considered that] both of them were righteous, because they constantly completely obeyed everything that God had commanded.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.
7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth had been unable to bear children. Furthermore, she and her husband were very old.
And there was no child to them, as Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
8 One day [Zechariah’s] group was doing their work [in the Temple in Jerusalem], and he was serving as a priest in God’s presence.
And it came to pass, while he was officiating in the order of his course before God,
9 Following their custom, [the other priests] chose him by lot to enter the Lord’s temple and burn incense.
(according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to offer incense), having gone into the temple of the Lord;
10 While he was burning the incense, many people were outside [in the courtyard], praying.
and all the multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense;
11 Then an angel whom God had [sent] appeared to him. The angel was standing at the right side of the place [where the priests burned] incense.
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him standing on the right hand of the altar of incense:
12 When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became very afraid.
and Zacharias was troubled seeing him, and fear fell on him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid! When you [(sg)] prayed [asking God for a son] (OR, [that God would send the Messiah]), God heard what you prayed. [So] your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son. You must name him John.
And the angel said to him; Fear not, Zacharias; because thy prayer has been heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bring forth a son to thee, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 He will cause you to be very happy, and many other people will also be happy because he is born.
And there shall be joy and rejoicing, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 God will consider him to be very important. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, [in order that he will be completely dedicated to God]. He will be controlled by the Holy Spirit {The Holy Spirit will control him} from before he is born.
For he shall be great before the Lord; and he shall not drink wine and strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from the womb of his mother.
16 He will [persuade] many people in Israel to turn away [from their sins and please] the Lord their God.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord, their God.
17 As [God’s] Spirit enables him [to preach] powerfully as [the prophet] Elijah did, he will precede [the Messiah]. He will cause parents [SYN] to act [peacefully] toward their children [again]. He will cause [many] people who do not obey [God to hear and obey] the wise things that righteous people [tell them]. He will do this in order to help [many] people to be ready when the Lord [comes].”
And he will go before Him in the spirit and Power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient unto the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people made ready for the Lord.
18 Then Zechariah said to the angel, “I am very old, and my wife is also so old [that she cannot bear a child. So] (I cannot [believe] that what you [(sg)] said [will happen]!/how can I [believe] that what you [(sg)] said [will happen]?) [RHQ]”
And Zacharias said to the angel: According to what shall I know this? for I am old and my wife advanced in her days.
19 Then the angel said to him, “I am [God’s chief angel], Gabriel! [I do what God tells me, because] I constantly am in God’s presence! I was sent {[He] sent me} to tell you [(sg)] something good [that is going to happen to you].
And the angel responding said to him; I am Gabriel standing in the presence of God, and am sent to speak to you and to preach to you these things.
20 What I have told you will certainly happen at the time [God decides], but you did not believe what I told you. So now [God will make] you will be unable to talk until the day [your son is born]”!
And behold thou shalt be dumb and unable to speak, unto the day upon which these things may take place; because thou didst not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time.
21 While [Zechariah and the angel] were talking, the people [in the courtyard] were waiting for Zechariah [to come out]. They wondered, “Why is he staying in the Temple for such a long time?”
And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering because he tarries in the temple.
22 When Zechariah came out, he was not able to speak to the people. Because he could not talk, he made motions with his hands [to try to convey what had happened]. Then they realized that he had seen (a vision [from God]/something that [God] showed him) while he was in the Temple.
And having come out he was unable to speak to them; and they recognized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he was beckoning to them and remained dumb.
23 When Zechariah’s time to work [as a priest in the Temple] was finished, he [left Jerusalem and] returned to his home.
And it came to pass when the days of his ministry were fulfilled, he went away to his own house.
24 Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant [EUP]. She did not leave their house for five months, [because she knew that people would laugh at her if she told them that she was pregnant].
And after these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 But she thought, “God has enabled me to become pregnant. He has pitied me and I will no longer be ashamed [because I have no children]!”
That the Lord so hath done unto me, in the days in which He condescended to take away my reproach among men.
26 When Elizabeth had been [pregnant] [EUP] [for almost] six months, the angel Gabriel was sent by God {God sent the angel Gabriel} [again].
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, to which was the name
27 [This time] he went to Nazareth [town] in Galilee [district], to a virgin whose name was Mary. It had been {[Her parents] had} promised that she would marry a man named Joseph, who was descended from [King] David.
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man, to whom was the name Joseph of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.
28 The angel greeted her and said, “(The Lord/God) is with you [(sg)] and you will be greatly blessed {[has decided to] greatly bless you}!”
And the angel having come to her said; Hail, thou blessed one; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.
29 But Mary was very confused [when she heard] that. She wondered what [the angel meant] by these words.
And she seeing was troubled over his word, and was reasoning what kind this salutation might be.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Mary, God is very pleased with you [(sg)], so do not be afraid.
And the angel said to her; Fear not, Mary; for thou didst find favor with God.
31 You will become pregnant and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.
And behold, thou shalt conceive and hear a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus.
32 He will become great. He will be called {[People will] call him} (the Son of God/the man who is also God). God, the Lord, will make him a king [MTY] as his ancestor [King] David was.
He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:
33 He will be the King of [the] Jews, the descendants [MTY] of [your ancestor] Jacob, forever. He will rule as king forever!” (aiōn g165)
and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end. (aiōn g165)
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin, so how can I [have a baby]?”
And Mary said to the angel; How shall this be, since I know not man?
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come to you; the power of God [MTY/EUP] will overshadow you [and enable you to become pregnant]. So the child [you will] bear will be completely set apart {give himself completely} to obey God, and he will be called {[people] will say that he is} (the Son of God/the man who is also God).
And the angel responding said to her; The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore, indeed, that holy thing that is begotten shall be called the Son of God.
36 [I also need to tell you something else]. Your cousin Elizabeth is very old, and it was thought {[people] said} that she could not bear any children. But she has been [pregnant] [EUP] [for almost] six months, and will bear a son!
And behold Elizabeth thy kinswoman, indeed, herself having conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month, to her who is called barren.
37 [You should not be surprised at that], because God can do everything!”
Because no word shall be impossible with God.
38 Then Mary said, “All right, I want to serve (the Lord/God), so may what you [(sg)] have said about me come true!” Then the angel left her.
And Mary said; Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; may it be done unto me according to thy word. And the angel went away from her.
39 Very soon after that, Mary got ready and went quickly to a town in the highlands of Judea [district] where Zechariah lived.
And Mary, rising, departed into the mountainous land, with haste, into a city of Judah.
40 She entered his house and greeted [his wife] Elizabeth.
And she came into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.
41 As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary greet her, the baby moved inside [Elizabeth’s] womb. The Holy Spirit took complete control of Elizabeth,
And it came to pass when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and she spoke with a loud voice and said;
42 and she said loudly [to Mary], “[God] has blessed you [more than] he has blessed [any other] woman, and [he has] blessed the child you will bear!
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 (I am not worthy that [God would allow you] to visit me!/Why is [God allowing you] to visit me?) [RHQ] You will be the mother of my Lord!
And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord may come unto me?
44 [I realize this because] as soon as I heard you greet me, the baby inside my womb moved because he was so happy [that you had come].
For behold when the voice of your salutation came into my ears, the infant in my womb leaped with joy.
45 [God] is pleased with you [because] you believed that what (the Lord/God) told you would come true.”
And blessed is she that believeth, because there shall be a perfection to those things having been spoken to her by the Lord.
46 Then Mary [praised God by] saying/singing: “, how I [SYN] praise (the Lord/God)!
And Mary said; My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 I am happy because God is the one who saves me.
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 I was only his lowly servant girl, but he did not forget me. So from now on, everyone will say that God was pleased with me,
because He looked upon the low state of his handmaiden.
49 because they will hear about the things that God [MTY], the mighty one, has done for me. He [MTY] is awesome!
For behold from now all generations call me blessed; because the Mighty One did great things unto me, and His name is holy;
50 He acts mercifully toward all those who respect him.
and His mercy unto generation of generations to them that fear Him.
51 He shows people that he [MTY] is very powerful. He scatters those who think proudly.
He wrought power by his own arm; he dispersed the proud in the thought of their heart.
52 He does not let mighty kings rule [MTY] any more, but he honors people who are oppressed (OR, humble).
He cast down the mighty from thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He gives good things to eat to those who are hungry, but he sends away the rich people without giving them anything.
He filled the poor with good things, and sent away the rich empty.
54 And now he has remembered what he promised. So he has helped me and all the other people of [MTY] Israel who serve him.
He delivered his son Israel, to remember mercy,
55 He promised to Abraham and all our other ancestors who descended from him that he would act mercifully toward them forever.” (aiōn g165)
as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever. (aiōn g165)
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home.
And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her child, she bore a son.
And the time of her parturition was fulfilled unto Elizabeth and she brought forth a son.
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard how (the Lord/God) had greatly blessed her [by enabling her to bear a child], so they were happy along with [Elizabeth].
And the neighbors and her relatives heard, that the Lord was magnifying His mercy with her, and they continued to rejoice with her.
59 Seven days later they gathered together for the [ceremony for] circumcising the baby [to show that he belonged to God]. They wanted to give the baby the same name as his father, Zechariah.
And it came to pass on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the little child; and they were calling him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60 But his mother said, “No, [his name will not be Zechariah]. His name will be John!”
And his mother responding said; No, but he shall be called John.
61 [So] they said to her, “[John] is not the name of any of your [(dl)] relatives, [so you(dl) should not give him that name]!”
And they said to her; That there is no one among thy kindred who is called by this name.
62 Then they made motions with their hands to Zechariah, [for him] to indicate what name [he] wanted to be given {to give} to his son.
And they were beckoning to his father, what he might wish to call him.
63 [So] he signaled that they [should give him] a tablet [to write on. When they gave him one], he wrote [on it], “His name is John.” All those [who were there] were surprised!
And having asked for a writing tablet, he wrote saying; His name is John.
64 Immediately Zechariah was able to speak again [MTY], and he praised God.
And all marveled. And his mouth immediately opened and his tongue loosed, and he continued to speak, praising God.
65 All their neighbors were amazed/awestruck! They told other people who lived all over the highlands of Judea about what had happened.
And fear came upon all of those dwelling around; and all these words were spoken abroad in all the mountainous regions of Judea.
66 Everyone who heard about it kept thinking about it. They were saying, “We wonder what will this child do [for God when] he [grows up] [RHQ]!” They wondered that because [from what had happened they were sure that] God would be helping that child [SYN] [in a powerful way].
And all those hearing placed them in their heart, saying; What then shall this little child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 [After] Zechariah’s [son was born], Zechariah was completely directed by the Holy Spirit {the Holy Spirit completely directed Zechariah} as he spoke these words that came from God:
And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied saying;
68 “Praise the Lord, the God whom we(inc) people of Israel worship, because he has come to set us, his people, free from our enemies.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He looked upon us and wrought redemption to His people, and raised up unto us a horn of salvation
69 He is sending us someone who will powerfully [MTY] save us, someone who is descended from [MTY] King David, who served God well.
in the house of David His son.
As he spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from the beginning; (aiōn g165)
71 He will rescue us from our enemies, and he will save us from the power of all those who hate us.
salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us,
72 He will do this because he has not forgotten what he promised our ancestors; he made an agreement that he would act mercifully to us, their descendants.
to execute mercy with our fathers, and remember His holy covenant,
73 That is what he strongly promised our ancestor Abraham that he would do.
the oath which He swore to Abraham our father:
74 God told him that we would be rescued {he would rescue us} from the power of our enemies, that he would enable us to serve him without being afraid,
to grant unto us, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies, to serve Him without fear,
75 that he would cause us to be completely dedicated to him, and enable us to live righteously all of our lives.”
in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 [Then Zechariah said this to] his little son: “My child, you will be called {people will say that you are} a prophet whom God [MTY/EUP] has sent; you will begin your work before (the Lord/Messiah) comes; you will prepare people so that they will be ready for him. (OR, you will begin your work before the Messiah comes).
And thou, little child, shall be called a prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 You will tell God’s people how he will forgive them and save them from being punished for their sins.
to give knowledge of salvation to His people in remission of their sins,
78 Our God will do that because he is very kind to us. Just like a new day begins when the sun rises [MET], God will do that new thing for us when the Messiah comes to us from heaven.
through the bowels of mercy of our God, in which the dayspring from on high looked upon us,
79 People who do not know God [MET] are like those who sit in the darkness. They are afraid [MTY] that they will soon die. But when the Messiah tells us God’s message, it will be like causing such people to see a bright light. He will guide us [SYN] so that we will be living peacefully.”
to appear unto those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet in the way of peace.
80 [Later], Zechariah’s son grew up and became spiritually strong. Then he lived in a desolate region until he began to preach to the Israeli people.
And the little child continued to grow and waxed strong in spirit; and was in the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel.
