Luke 1
1 To his Excellency, Theophilus. Many attempts have been already made to draw up an account of those events which have reached their conclusion 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 were reported to us by those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and afterwards became bearers of the Message.
As they were handed down to us by those who saw them from the first and were preachers of the word,
3 And, therefore, I also, since I have investigated all these events with great care from their very beginning, have resolved to write a connected history of them for you,
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 in order that you may be able to satisfy yourself of the accuracy of the story which you have heard from the lips of others.
So that you might have certain knowledge of those things about which you were given teaching.
5 In the reign of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the Division called after Abijah. His wife, whose name was Elizabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron.
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 They were both righteous people, who lived blameless lives, guiding their steps by all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong.
7 But they had no child, Elizabeth being barren; and both of them were advanced in years.
And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old.
8 One day, when Zechariah was officiating as priest before God, during the turn of his Division,
Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God,
9 it fell to him by lot, in accordance with the practice among the priests, to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense;
And as was the way of the priests, he had to go into the Temple to see to the burning of perfumes.
10 and, as it was the Hour of Incense, the people were all praying outside.
And all the people were offering prayers outside, at the time of the burning of perfumes.
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on 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 Zechariah was startled at the sight and was awe-struck.
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; your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, whom you shall call by the 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 He shall be to you a joy and a delight; and many shall rejoice over his birth.
And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord; he shall not drink any wine or strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth,
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 shall reconcile many of the Israelites to the Lord their God.
And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.
17 He shall go before him in the spirit and with the power of Elijah, ‘to reconcile fathers to their children’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and so make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”
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 “How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man 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 “I am Gabriel,” the angel answered, “who stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
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 now you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when this takes place, because you did not believe what I said, though my words will be fulfilled in due course.”
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 Meanwhile the people were watching for Zechariah, wondering at his remaining so long 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 When he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision there. But Zechariah kept making signs to them, and remained dumb.
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, as soon as his term of service was finished, he returned home.
And when the days of his work in the Temple were ended, he went back to his house.
24 After this his wife, Elizabeth, expecting to become a mother, lived in seclusion for five months.
After that time, Elisabeth, being certain that she was to become a mother, kept herself from men's eyes for five months, saying,
25 “This is what the Lord has done for me,” she said, “now that he has deigned to take away the reproach under which I have been living.”
The Lord has done this to me, for his eyes were on me, to take away my shame in the eyes of men.
26 Six months later the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 to a maiden there who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. Her name 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 Gabriel came into her presence and said: “Hail, you who have been highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
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 Mary was much disturbed at his words, and was wondering to herself what such a greeting could mean,
But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words?
30 when the angel spoke again: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval.
31 And now, you shall be with child and give birth to a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus.
And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus.
32 The child shall be great and shall be called ‘Son of the Most High,’ and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David,
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 shall reign over the descendants of Jacob for ever; And to his kingdom there shall be 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 “How can this be?” Mary asked the angel. “For I have no husband.”
And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man?
35 “The Holy Spirit shall descend upon you,” answered the angel, “and the Power of the Most High shall overshadow you; and therefore the child will be called ‘holy,’ and ‘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 Elizabeth, your cousin, is herself also expecting a son in her old age; and it is now the sixth month with her, though she 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 promise from God shall fail to be fulfilled.”
For there is nothing which God is not able to do.
38 “I am the servant of the Lord,” exclaimed Mary; “let it be with me as you have said.” Then the angel left 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 Soon after this Mary set out, and made her way quickly into the hill-country, to a town in Judah;
Then Mary got up and went quickly into the high lands, to a town of Judah;
40 and there she went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
And went into the house of Zacharias and took Elisabeth in her arms.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child moved within her, and Elizabeth herself 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 cried aloud: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is your unborn child!
And she said with a loud voice: May blessing be on you among women, and a blessing on the child of your body.
43 But how have I this honour, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
44 For, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child moved within me with delight!
For, truly, when the sound of your voice came to my ears, the baby in my body made a sudden move for joy.
45 Happy indeed is she who believed that the promise which she received from the Lord would be fulfilled.”
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 exalts the Lord,
And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God;
47 my spirit delights in God my Saviour;
My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.
48 for he has remembered his servant in her lowliness; And from this hour all ages will count me happy!
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 Great things has the Almighty done for me; And holy is his name.
For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.
50 From age to age his mercy rests On those who reverence him.
His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him.
51 Mighty are the deeds of his arm; He scatters the proud with their own devices,
With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts.
52 he casts down princes from their thrones, and the lowly he uplifts,
He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree.
53 the hungry he loads with gifts, and the rich he sends empty away.
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 stretched out his hand to his servant Israel, Ever 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 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned to her home.
And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house.
57 When Elizabeth’s time came, she gave birth to a son;
Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son.
58 and her neighbours and relations, hearing of the great goodness of the Lord to her, came to share her joy.
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 A week later they met to circumcise the child, and were about to call him ‘Zechariah’ after his father,
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 when his mother interposed: “No, he is to be called John.”
But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John.
61 “You have no relation of that name!” they exclaimed;
And they said, Not one of your relations has that name.
62 and they made signs to the child’s father, to find out what he wished the child to be called.
And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him.
63 Asking for a writing-tablet, he wrote the words — ‘His name is John.’ Every one was surprised;
And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised.
64 and immediately Zechariah recovered his voice and the use of his tongue, and began to bless God.
And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God.
65 All their neighbours were awe-struck at this; and throughout the hill-country of Judea the whole story was much talked about;
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 who heard it kept it in mind, asking one another — “What can this child be destined to become?” For the Power 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 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, speaking under inspiration, said:
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, the God of Israel, Who has visited his people and wrought their deliverance,
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free,
69 and has raised up for us the Strength of our Salvation In the House of his servant David —
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 hands of all that hate us,
Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us;
72 showing mercy to our forefathers, And mindful of his sacred Covenant.
To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word,
73 This was the oath which he swore to our forefather Abraham —
The oath which he made to Abraham, our father,
74 That we should be rescued from the hands of our enemies,
That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship,
75 and should serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness, In his presence all our days.
In righteousness and holy living before him all our days.
76 And thou, Child, shalt be called Prophet of the Most High, For thou shalt go before the Lord to make ready his way,
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 his people the knowledge of salvation In the forgiveness of their sins,
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins,
78 through the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the Dawn will break on us from Heaven,
Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us,
79 to give light to those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, And guide our feet into 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 The child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the Wilds till the time came for his appearance before 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.
