Luke 1
1 Whereas many have undertaken to compose a narrative of the things, which have been fully certified among us;
Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us
2 as they delivered them to us, who were from the beginning eye-witnesses of them, and ministers of the word;
on the authority of those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and were devoted to the service of the divine Message,
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,
it has seemed right to me also, after careful investigation of the facts from their commencement, to write for you, most noble Theophilus, a connected account,
4 most excellent Theophilus, that thou mayst know the certainty of the things wherein thou hast been instructed.
that you may fully know the truth of the things which you have been taught by word of mouth.
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.
There was in the time of Herod, the king of Judaea, a priest of the name of Zechariah, belonging to the class of Abijah. He had a wife who was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
They were both of them upright before God, blamelessly obeying all the Lord's precepts and ordinances.
7 And they had no child, for Elisabeth was barren; and they were both far advanced in years.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren; and both of them were far advanced in life.
8 And it came to pass, while he was in the order of his course performing the priest's office before God,
Now while he was doing priestly duty before God in the prescribed course of his class,
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:
it fell to his lot--according to the custom of the priesthood--to go into the Sanctuary of the Lord and burn the incense;
10 and all the people were praying without at the time of offering incense.
and the whole multitude of the people were outside praying, at the hour of incense.
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right hand of the altar of incense.
Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense;
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was startled and struck with fear:
and Zechariah on seeing him was agitated and terrified.
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, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his 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,
Gladness and exultant joy shall be yours, and many will rejoice over 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; no wine or fermented drink shall he ever drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth.
16 and many of the children of Israel shall he convert unto the Lord their God.
Many of the descendants of Israel will he turn 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 be His forerunner in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn fathers' hearts to the children, and cause the rebellious to walk in the wisdom of the upright, to make a people perfectly 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 far advanced in years.
"By what proof," asked Zechariah, "shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far advanced 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, who stand in the presence of God," answered the angel, "and I have been sent to talk with you and tell 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 dumb and unable to speak until the day when this has taken place; because you did not believe my words--words which will be fulfilled at their appointed 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 were surprised that he stayed so long in the Sanctuary.
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, however, he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they knew that he must have seen a vision in the Sanctuary; but he kept making signs to them and continued dumb.
23 and as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
When his days of service were at an end, he went to his home;
24 And after these days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and retired five months,
and in course of time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and kept herself secluded five months.
25 saying, the Lord hath thus dealt with me in the days wherein he looked upon me to take away my reproach among men.
"Thus has the Lord dealt with me," she said, "now that He has graciously taken away my reproach among men."
26 But in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth,
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God 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 maiden betrothed to a man of the name of Joseph, a descendant of David. The maiden'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;
So Gabriel went into the house and said to her, "Joy be to you, favoured one! 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.
She was greatly agitated at his words, and wondered what such a greeting meant.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God:
But the angel said, "Do not be frightened, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
31 and behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS:
You will conceive in your womb and bear a son; and you are to call His 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 He will be called 'Son of the Most High.' And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather 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 be King over the House of Jacob for the Ages, and of His Kingdom there will be no end." (aiōn g165)
34 Then said Mary to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin?
"How can this be," Mary replied, "seeing that I have no husband?"
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 answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for this reason your holy offspring 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;
And see, your relative Elizabeth--she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 for nothing is impossible with God.
For no promise from God will be impossible of fulfilment."
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 maidservant," Mary replied; "may it be with me in accordance with your words!" And then the angel left her.
39 Then Mary arose and went with speed into the hill-country, to a city of Juda,
Not long after this, Mary rose up and went in haste into the hill country to a town in Judah.
40 and came into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
Here she came to the house 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:
and as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe leapt within her. 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:
and uttered a loud cry of joy. "Blest among women are you," she said, "and the offspring of your body is blest!
43 and whence is this honor to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
But why is this honour done me, 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, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the babe within me leapt 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.
And blessed is she who has believed, for the word spoken to her from the Lord shall 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 extols the Lord,
47 for He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaid:
And my spirit triumphs in God my Saviour;
48 for behold, from henceforth shall all generations call me blessed:
Because He has not turned from His maidservant in her lowly position; For from this time forward all generations will account me happy,
49 for He that is mighty hath done great things for me,
Because 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.
And His compassion is, generation after generation, Upon those who fear Him.
51 He hath wrought powerfully with his arm; He hath confounded those that were proud in the imagination of their heart.
He has manifested His supreme strength. He has scattered those who were haughty in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He hath cast down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the humble.
He has cast monarchs down from their thrones, And exalted men of low estate.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent away empty.
The hungry He has satisfied with choice gifts, But the rich He has sent empty-handed away.
54 He hath supported Israel his servant,
His servant Israel He has helped, Remembering His compassion--
55 in remembrance of his mercy (even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed, ) for ever." (aiōn g165)
In fulfillment of His promises to our forefathers--For Abraham and his posterity for ever." (aiōn g165)
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her own house.
So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned home.
57 Now when Elisabeth's time for her delivery was fully come, she brought forth a son:
Now when Elizabeth's full time was come, 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;
and her neighbours and relatives heard how the Lord had had great compassion on her; 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:
And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and were going to call him Zechariah, after his father.
60 but his mother said, No, but he shall be called John:
His mother, however, said, "No, he is to be called John."
61 and they said to her, There is none of thy relations of this name.
"There is not one of your family," they said, "who has that name."
62 And they made signs to his father, what name he would have him called by.
They asked his father by signs what he wished him to be called.
63 And he called for a writing-tablet, and wrote upon it, His name is John: and they all wondered.
So he asked for a writing-tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and praised God.
Instantly his mouth and his tongue were set free, and he began to speak and bless 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.
And all who lived round about them were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judaea reports of all these things were spread abroad.
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.
All who heard the story treasured it in their memories. "What then will this child be?" they said. For the lord's hand was indeed with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the holy Spirit,
And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke in a rapture of praise.
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," he said, "Because He has not forgotten His people but has effected redemption for them,
69 and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us,
And has raised up a mighty Deliverer for us In the house of David His servant--
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 has spoken from all time by the lips of His holy Prophets-- (aiōn g165)
71 even salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us,
To deliver us from our foes and from the power of all who hate us.
72 to display his mercy towards our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant,
He dealt pitifully with our forefathers, And remembered His holy covenant,
73 according to the oath which He sware to Abraham our father,
The oath which He swore to Abraham our forefather,
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,
To grant us to be rescued from the power of our foes And so render worship to Him free from fear,
75 all the days of our life.
In piety and uprightness before Him all our days.
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 moreover, O child, shall be called Prophet of the Most High; For you shall go on in front before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
77 to make known salvation to his people,
To give to His People a knowledge of salvation In 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,
Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us,
79 to enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace."
Dawning on those who now dwell in the darkness and shadow of death--To direct 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 character, and lived in the Desert till the time came for him to appear publicly to Israel.
