Luke 1
1 Forsothe for manye men enforceden to ordeyne the tellyng of thingis, whiche ben fillid in vs,
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a narration of the things that have been accomplished among us;
2 as thei that seyn atte the bigynnyng, and weren ministris of the word,
According as they have delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word:
3 bitaken, it is seen also to me, hauynge alle thingis diligentli bi ordre, to write to thee,
It seemed good to me also, having diligently attained to all things from the beginning, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 thou best Theofile, that thou knowe the treuthe of tho wordis, of whiche thou art lerned.
That thou mayest know the verity of those words in which thou hast been instructed.
5 In the daies of Eroude, kyng of Judee, ther was a prest, Sakarie bi name, of the sorte of Abia, and his wijf was of the douytris of Aaron, and hir name was Elizabeth.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of the course of Abia; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.
6 And bothe weren iust bifor God, goynge in alle the maundementis and iustifiyngis of the Lord, withouten pleynt.
And they were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame.
7 And thei hadden no child, for Elizabeth was bareyn, and bothe weren of grete age in her daies.
And they had no son, for that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
8 And it bifel, that whanne Zacarie schulde do the office of preesthod, in the ordre of his cours tofor God,
And it came to pass, when he executed the priestly function in the order of his course before God,
9 aftir the custome of the preesthod, he wente forth bi lot, and entride in to the temple, to encense.
According to the custom of the priestly office, it was his lot to offer incense, going into the temple of the Lord.
10 And al the multitude of the puple was with outforth, and preiede in the our of encensyng.
And all the multitude of the people was praying without, at the hour of incense.
11 And an aungel of the Lord apperide to hym, and stood on the riythalf of the auter of encense.
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the alter of incense.
12 And Zacarie seynge was afraied, and drede fel vpon hym.
And Zachary seeing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 And the aungel seide to hym, Zacarie, drede thou not; for thi preyer is herd, and Elizabeth, thi wijf, schal bere to thee a sone, and his name schal be clepid Joon.
But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John:
14 And ioye and gladyng schal be to thee; and many schulen `haue ioye in his natyuyte.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice in his nativity.
15 For he schal be greet bifor the Lord, and he schal not drynke wyn and sidir, and he schal be fulfillid with the Hooli Goost yit of his modir wombe.
For he shall be great before the Lord; and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And he schal conuerte many of the children of Israel to her Lord God;
And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 and he schal go bifor hym in the spirit and the vertu of Helie; and he schal turne the hertis of the fadris in to the sones, and men out of bileue to the prudence of iust men, to make redi a perfit puple to the Lord.
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias; that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people.
18 And Zacarie seide to the aungel, Wherof schal Y wite this? for Y am eld, and my wijf hath gon fer in to hir daies.
And Zachary said to the angel: Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.
19 And the aungel answeride, and seide to hym, For Y am Gabriel, that stonde niy bifor God; and Y am sent to thee to speke, and to euangelize to thee these thingis.
And the angel answering, said to him: I am Gabriel, who stand before God: and am sent to speak to thee, and to bring thee these good tidings.
20 And lo! thou schalt be doumbe, and thou schalt not mow speke til in to the dai, in which these thingis schulen be don; for thou hast not bileued to my wordis, whiche schulen be fulfillid in her tyme.
And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time.
21 And the puple was abidynge Zacarie, and thei wondriden, that he tariede in the temple.
And the people were waiting for Zachary; and they wondered that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And he yede out, and myyte not speke to hem, and thei knewen that he hadde seyn a visioun in the temple. And he bikenyde to hem, and he dwellide stille doumbe.
And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he made signs to them, and remained dumb.
23 And it was don, whanne the daies of his office weren fulfillid, he wente in to his hous.
And it came to pass, after the days of his office were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And aftir these daies Elizabeth, his wijf, conseyuede, and hidde hir fyue monethis, and seide,
And after those days, Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself five months, saying:
25 For so the Lord dide to me in the daies, in whiche he bihelde, to take awei my repreef among men.
Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he hath had regard to take away my reproach among men.
26 But in the sixte moneth the aungel Gabriel was sent fro God in to a citee of Galilee, whos name was Nazareth,
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,
27 to a maidyn, weddid to a man, whos name was Joseph, of the hous of Dauid; and the name of the maidun was Marie.
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the aungel entride to hir, and seide, Heil, ful of grace; the Lord be with thee; blessid be thou among wymmen.
And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And whanne sche hadde herd, sche was troublid in his word, and thouyte what maner salutacioun this was.
Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the aungel seide to hir, Ne drede thou not, Marie, for thou hast foundun grace anentis God.
And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
31 Lo! thou schalt conceyue in wombe, and schalt bere a sone, and thou schalt clepe his name Jhesus.
Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
32 This schal be greet, and he schal be clepid the sone of the Hiyeste; and the Lord God schal yeue to hym the seete of Dauid, his fadir,
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father;
33 and he schal regne in the hous of Jacob with outen ende, and of his rewme schal be noon ende. (aiōn g165)
and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. (aiōn g165)
34 And Marie seide to the aungel, On what maner schal this thing be doon, for Y knowe not man?
And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?
35 And the aungel answeride, and seide to hir, The Hooly Goost schal come fro aboue in to thee, and the vertu of the Hiyeste schal ouerschadewe thee; and therfor that hooli thing that schal be borun of thee, schal be clepid the sone of God.
And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And lo! Elizabeth, thi cosyn, and sche also hath conceyued a sone in hir eelde, and this moneth is the sixte to hir that is clepid bareyn;
And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren:
37 for euery word schal not be inpossible anentis God.
Because no word shall be impossible with God.
38 And Marie seide, Lo! the handmaydyn of the Lord; be it don to me aftir thi word. And the aungel departide fro hir.
And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Marie roos vp in tho daies, and wente with haaste in to the mounteyns, in to a citee of Judee.
And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda.
40 And sche entride in to the hous of Zacarie, and grette Elizabeth.
And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.
41 And it was don, as Elizabeth herde the salutacioun of Marie, the yong child in hir wombe gladide. And Elizabeth was fulfillid with the Hooli Goost,
And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 and criede with a greet vois, and seide, Blessid be thou among wymmen, and blessid be the fruyt of thi wombe.
And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whereof is this thing to me, that the modir of my Lord come to me?
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For lo! as the voice of thi salutacioun was maad in myn eeris, the yong child gladide in ioye in my wombe.
For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessid be thou, that hast bileued, for thilke thingis that ben seid of the Lord to thee, schulen be parfitli don.
And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.
46 And Marie seide, Mi soule magnyfieth the Lord,
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.
47 and my spirit hath gladid in God, myn helthe.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath biholdun the mekenesse of his handmaidun.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For lo! of this alle generaciouns schulen seie that Y am blessid. For he that is myyti hath don to me grete thingis, and his name is hooli.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is fro kynrede in to kynredes, to men that dreden hym.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
51 He made myyt in his arme, he scaterede proude men with the thouyte of his herte.
He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
52 He sette doun myyti men fro sete, and enhaunside meke men.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
53 He hath fulfillid hungri men with goodis, and he hath left riche men voide.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He, hauynge mynde of his mercy, took Israel, his child;
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever. (aiōn g165)
56 And Marie dwellide with hir, as it were thre monethis, and turnede ayen in to hir hous.
And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house.
57 But the tyme of beryng child was fulfillid to Elizabeth, and sche bare a sone.
Now Elizabeth’s full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son.
58 And the neiyboris and cosyns of hir herden, that the Lord hadde magnyfied his mercy with hir; and thei thankiden hym.
And her neighbours and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had shewed his great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her.
59 And it was don in the eiyte dai, thei camen to circumcide the child; and thei clepiden hym Zacarie, bi the name of his fadir.
And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father’s name Zachary.
60 And his moder answeride, and seide, Nay, but he schal be clepid Joon.
And his mother answering, said: Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And thei seiden to hir, For no man is in thi kynrede, that is clepid this name.
And they said to her: There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And thei bikeneden to his fadir, what he wolde that he were clepid.
And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he axynge a poyntil, wroot, seiynge, Joon is his name.
And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered.
64 And alle men wondriden. And anoon his mouth was openyd, and his tunge, and he spak, and blesside God.
And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And drede was maad on alle her neiyboris, and alle these wordis weren pupplischid on alle the mounteyns of Judee.
And fear came upon all their neighbours; and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill country of Judea.
66 And alle men that herden puttiden in her herte, and seiden, What maner child schal this be? For the hoond of the Lord was with hym.
And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And Zacarie, his fadir, was fulfillid with the Hooli Goost, and prophesiede,
And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Ghost; and he prophesied, saying:
68 and seide, Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visitid, and maad redempcioun of his puple.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
69 And he hath rerid to vs an horn of heelthe in the hous of Dauid, his child.
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning: (aiōn g165)
71 Helthe fro oure enemyes, and fro the hoond of alle men that hatiden vs.
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
72 To do merci with oure fadris, and to haue mynde of his hooli testament.
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
73 The greet ooth that he swoor to Abraham, oure fadir, to yyue hym silf to vs.
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
74 That we with out drede delyuered fro the hoond of oure enemyes,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
75 serue to hym, in hoolynesse and riytwisnesse bifor hym in alle oure daies.
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
76 And thou, child, schalt be clepid the prophete of the Hiyest; for thou schalt go bifor the face of the Lord, to make redi hise weies.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
77 To yyue scyence of helthe to his puple, in to remyssioun of her synnes;
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
78 bi the inwardnesse of the merci of oure God, in the whiche he spryngynge vp fro an hiy hath visitid vs.
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
79 To yyue liyt to hem that sitten in derknessis and in schadewe of deeth; to dresse oure feet in to the weie of pees.
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child wexide, and was coumfortid in spirit, and was in desert placis `til to the dai of his schewing to Israel.
And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit; and was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
