< Luke 1 >
1 Forsothe for manye men enforceden to ordeyne the tellyng of thingis, whiche ben fillid in vs,
Seeing that many did take in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,
2 as thei that seyn atte the bigynnyng, and weren ministris of the word,
as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, —
3 bitaken, it is seen also to me, hauynge alle thingis diligentli bi ordre, to write to thee,
it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,
4 thou best Theofile, that thou knowe the treuthe of tho wordis, of whiche thou art lerned.
that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast 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, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elisabeth;
6 And bothe weren iust bifor God, goynge in alle the maundementis and iustifiyngis of the Lord, withouten pleynt.
and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless,
7 And thei hadden no child, for Elizabeth was bareyn, and bothe weren of grete age in her daies.
and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
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, in his acting as priest, 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 priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary 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 were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.
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 a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume,
12 And Zacarie seynge was afraied, and drede fel vpon hym.
and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on 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.
and the messenger said unto him, 'Fear not, Zacharias, for thy supplication was heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear a son to thee, 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 there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy,
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 wine and strong drink he may not drink, and of the Holy Spirit he shall be full, even from his mother's womb;
16 And he schal conuerte many of the children of Israel to her Lord God;
and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn 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 Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers unto children, and disobedient ones to the wisdom of righteous ones, to make ready for the Lord, a people prepared.'
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 Zacharias said unto the messenger, 'Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?'
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 messenger answering said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who have been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to proclaim these good news to thee,
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 lo, thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak, till the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou didst not believe my words, that shall be fulfilled in their season.'
21 And the puple was abidynge Zacarie, and thei wondriden, that he tariede in the temple.
And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,
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 having come out, he was not able to speak to them, and they perceived that a vision he had seen in the sanctuary, and he was beckoning to them, and did remain 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, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,
24 And aftir these daies Elizabeth, his wijf, conseyuede, and hidde hir fyue monethis, and seide,
and after those days, his wife Elisabeth 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 done to me, in days in which He looked upon [me], 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 was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which [is] 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, betrothed to a man, whose name [is] Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin [is] 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 messenger having come in unto her, said, 'Hail, favoured one, 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.
and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.
30 And the aungel seide to hir, Ne drede thou not, Marie, for thou hast foundun grace anentis God.
And the messenger said to her, 'Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;
31 Lo! thou schalt conceyue in wombe, and schalt bere a sone, and thou schalt clepe his name Jhesus.
and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and 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 Son of the Highest he shall be called, and the Lord God shall give 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 )
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.' (aiōn )
34 And Marie seide to the aungel, On what maner schal this thing be doon, for Y knowe not man?
And Mary said unto the messenger, 'How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?'
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 messenger answering said to her, 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also the holy-begotten thing shall be called 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 lo, Elisabeth, thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called barren;
37 for euery word schal not be inpossible anentis God.
because nothing 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, 'Lo, the maid-servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to thy saying,' and the messenger went away 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 having arisen in those days, went to the hill-country, with haste, to a city of Judea,
40 And sche entride in to the hous of Zacarie, and grette Elizabeth.
and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
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, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe did leap in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and criede with a greet vois, and seide, Blessid be thou among wymmen, and blessid be the fruyt of thi wombe.
and spake 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 might come unto 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, lo, when the voice of thy salutation came to my ears, leap in gladness did the babe in my womb;
45 And blessid be thou, that hast bileued, for thilke thingis that ben seid of the Lord to thee, schulen be parfitli don.
and happy [is] she who did believe, for there shall be a completion to the things spoken to her from 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 was glad on God my Saviour,
48 For he hath biholdun the mekenesse of his handmaidun.
Because He looked on the lowliness of His maid-servant, For, lo, henceforth call me happy shall all the generations,
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.
For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy [is] His name,
50 And his mercy is fro kynrede in to kynredes, to men that dreden hym.
And His kindness [is] to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,
51 He made myyt in his arme, he scaterede proude men with the thouyte of his herte.
He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,
52 He sette doun myyti men fro sete, and enhaunside meke men.
He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,
53 He hath fulfillid hungri men with goodis, and he hath left riche men voide.
The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,
54 He, hauynge mynde of his mercy, took Israel, his child;
He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,
55 as he hath spokun to oure fadris, to Abraham and to his seed, in to worldis. (aiōn )
As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed — to the age.' (aiōn )
56 And Marie dwellide with hir, as it were thre monethis, and turnede ayen in to hir hous.
And Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.
57 But the tyme of beryng child was fulfillid to Elizabeth, and sche bare a sone.
And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare 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 the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing 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, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias,
60 And his moder answeride, and seide, Nay, but he schal be clepid Joon.
and his mother answering said, 'No, 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 unto her — 'There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,'
62 And thei bikeneden to his fadir, what he wolde that he were clepid.
and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,
63 And he axynge a poyntil, wroot, seiynge, Joon is his name.
and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, 'John is his name;' and they did all wonder;
64 And alle men wondriden. And anoon his mouth was openyd, and his tunge, and he spak, and blesside God.
and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising 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 those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,
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 who heard did lay them up in their hearts, saying, 'What then shall this child be?' and the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And Zacarie, his fadir, was fulfillid with the Hooli Goost, and prophesiede,
And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,
68 and seide, Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visitid, and maad redempcioun of his puple.
'Blessed [is] the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,
69 And he hath rerid to vs an horn of heelthe in the hous of Dauid, his child.
And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,
70 As he spak bi the mouth of hise hooli prophetis, that weren fro the world. (aiōn )
As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age; (aiōn )
71 Helthe fro oure enemyes, and fro the hoond of alle men that hatiden vs.
Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,
72 To do merci with oure fadris, and to haue mynde of his hooli testament.
To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,
73 The greet ooth that he swoor to Abraham, oure fadir, to yyue hym silf to vs.
An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,
74 That we with out drede delyuered fro the hoond of oure enemyes,
To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,
75 serue to hym, in hoolynesse and riytwisnesse bifor hym in alle oure daies.
To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.
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, Prophet of the Highest Shalt thou be called; 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 In 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 tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon 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 give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, To guide our feet to a 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 he was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.