Luke 1
1 Whereas many have undertaken to compose a narrative of the things, which have been fully certified among us;
Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
2 as they delivered them to us, who were from the beginning eye-witnesses of them, and ministers of the word;
just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 it seemed good to me also, having thoroughly traced them all from the very first, to write an account of them in order to thee,
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 most excellent Theophilus, that thou mayst know the certainty of the things wherein thou hast been instructed.
so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
5 There was in the days of Herod king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia; and his wife was of the family of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
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 And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances 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, for Elisabeth was barren; and they were both far advanced in years.
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 And it came to pass, while he was in the order of his course performing the priest's office 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 dividing the office of the priests, that it fell to his lot to burn incense, entring 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 people were praying without at the time of offering incense.
And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 And there appeared to him an angel 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 when Zacharias saw him, he was startled and struck with fear:
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 but the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias; for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, 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 he shall be a joy and transport to thee, yea, many shall rejoice on account of his birth; for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 and he shall drink neither wine nor any other strong liquor; and he shall be filled with the holy Spirit even from his birth;
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 children of Israel shall he convert unto 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 Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to prepare for the Lord a people well-disposed.
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 Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife far advanced in years.
“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 angel answering said to him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God, and I am sent to speak to thee, and to tell thee this good news:
“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 now shalt thou be dumb, 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 at 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 waiting for Zacharias, and wondered at his staying so long in the temple:
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
22 but when he came out he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them, and continued speechless:
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 as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 And after these days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and retired five months,
After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 saying, the Lord hath thus dealt with me in the days wherein 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 But in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth,
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin who was 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 when the angel came in to the room to her, he said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured; the Lord is with thee;
The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 blessed art thou among women! and when she saw him, she was confused at what he said, and pondered in her mind what sort of salutation this could be.
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God:
So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 and behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt 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 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give 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 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 end!” (aiōn g165)
34 Then said Mary to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin?
“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, and therefore thine holy offspring shall be called the Son of God: and lo,
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 thy cousin Elisabeth also hath conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren;
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 for nothing is impossible with God.
For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 Then Mary said, Behold the servant of the Lord, may it be unto me according to thy word. So the angel 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 Then Mary arose and went with speed into the hill-country, to a city of Juda,
In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 and came into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And as soon as Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the child leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the holy Spirit:
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 and she cried out with a loud voice, 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 is this honor to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 for behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy:
For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 and blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a performance of the things that were told 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, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour;
Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 for He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaid:
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 for behold, from henceforth shall all generations call me blessed:
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 for He that is mighty hath done great things for me,
For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 and his name is holy, and his mercy is on them that fear Him, unto all generations.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 He hath wrought powerfully with his arm; He hath confounded those that were proud in the imagination 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 cast down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the humble.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent away empty.
He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He hath supported Israel his servant,
He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 in remembrance of his mercy (even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed, ) for ever." (aiōn g165)
as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” (aiōn g165)
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her own house.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
57 Now when Elisabeth's time for her delivery was fully come, she brought forth a son:
When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 and her neighbours and kindred heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her, and they congratulated her;
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 and on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child: and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father:
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
60 but his mother said, No, but he shall be called John:
But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 and they said to her, There is none of thy relations of this name.
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 And they made signs to his father, what name he would have him called by.
So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 And he called for a writing-tablet, and wrote upon it, His name is John: and they all wondered.
Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and praised God.
Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 And an awe fell upon all that dwelt round about them; and all these things were divulged through the whole hill-country of Judea.
All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.
66 And all that heard them, laid them up in their hearts, saying, What a child will this be? And 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 his father Zacharias was filled with the holy Spirit,
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for 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 an horn of salvation for us,
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
70 in the house of his servant David, as He spake by the mouth of his holy prophets from the beginning, (aiōn g165)
as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past, (aiōn g165)
71 even salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us,
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 to display his mercy towards our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant,
to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 according to the oath which He sware to Abraham our father,
the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 to grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him,
deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 all the days of our life.
in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 And thou, my child, shalt be called the prophet of the most High; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord,
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 to make known salvation to his people,
to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 in the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring hath visited us from on high,
because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 to enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the 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 grew, and became strong in spirit: and he was in the deserts till the time of his being manifested to 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.
