Luke 1
1 Seeing that many did take in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,
Forasmuch as many have undertaken to compose a narrative of those things, which have been accomplished amongst us,
2 as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, —
as they, who were from the beginning, eye-witnesses, and afterwards ministers of the word, delivered them to us;
3 it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,
I have also determined, having exactly traced everything from the first, to write a particular account for you, most excellent Theophilus;
4 that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.
that you might know the certainty of those matters wherein you have been instructed.
5 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;
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah; and his wife, named Elizabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron.
6 and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless,
They were both righteous before God, blameless observers of all the Lord's commandments and ordinances.
7 and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were advanced in years.
8 And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God,
Now when he came to officiate as priest in the order of his course,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary of the Lord,
it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to offer incense in the sanctuary.
10 and all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.
And while the incense was burning, the whole congregation were praying without.
11 And there appeared to him a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume,
Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;
And Zacharias was discomposed at the sight, and in great terror.
13 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,
But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias; for your prayer is heard, and Elizabeth your wife shall bear you a son, whom you shall name John.
14 and there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy,
He shall be to you matter of joy and transport; and many shall rejoice because of his birth.
15 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;
For he shall be great before the Lord; he shall not drink wine nor any fermented liquor; but he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God,
And many of the sons of Israel he shall bring back to the Lord their God.
17 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.'
Moreover, he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to reconcile fathers to their children, and by the wisdom of the righteous, to render the disobedient a people well disposed for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the messenger, 'Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?'
And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this: for I am old man, and my wife is advanced in years?
19 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,
The angel answering, said to him, I am Gabriel, who attend in the presence of God, and am sent to tell you this joyful news.
20 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.'
But know that you shall be dumb, and shall not recover your speech, till the day when these things happen, because you have not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in due time.
21 And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,
Meanwhile the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered that he staid so long in the sanctuary.
22 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.
But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary; for he made them understand by signs, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,
And when his days of officiating were expired, he returned home.
24 and after those days, his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying —
Soon after, Elizabeth his wife conceived, and lived in retirement five months, and said,
25 'Thus hath the Lord done to me, in days in which He looked upon [me], to take away my reproach among men.'
The Lord has done this for me, purposing now to deliver me from the reproach I lay under among men.
26 And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which [is] Nazareth,
Now, in the sixth month, God sent Gabriel his angel, to Nazareth, a city of Galilee;
27 to a virgin, betrothed to a man, whose name [is] Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin [is] Mary.
to a virgin betrothed to a man called Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the messenger having come in unto her, said, 'Hail, favoured one, the Lord [is] with thee; blessed [art] thou among women;'
When the angel entered, he said to her, Hail, favorite of heaven! the Lord be with you, happiest of women!
29 and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.
At his appearance and words, she was perplexed, and revolved in her mind what this salutation could mean.
30 And the messenger said to her, 'Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;
And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus;
And behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, whom you shall name Jesus.
32 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,
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne of David his Father.
33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.' (aiōn g165)
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever: his reign shall never end. (aiōn g165)
34 And Mary said unto the messenger, 'How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?'
Then said Mary to the angel, How shall this be, since I have no intercourse with man?
35 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;
The angel answering, said to her, The Holy Spirit will descend upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore the holy progeny shall be called the Son of God.
36 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;
And lo! your cousin Elizabeth also has conceived, a son in her old age; and she who is called barren, is now in her sixth month;
37 because nothing shall be impossible with God.'
for nothing is impossible with God.
38 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.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it to me according to your word. Then the angel departed.
39 And Mary having arisen in those days, went to the hill-country, with haste, to a city of Judea,
In those days Mary set out, and traveled expeditiously into the hill country; to a city of Judah;
40 and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
where having entered the house of Zacharias, she saluted Elizabeth.
41 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,
As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's salutation, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and spake out with a loud voice, and said, 'Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb;
and cried with a loud voice, You are the most blessed of women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
43 and whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come unto me?
But how have I deserved this honor, to be visited by the mother of my Lord!
44 for, lo, when the voice of thy salutation came to my ears, leap in gladness did the babe in my womb;
for know, that as soon as the sound of your salutation reached my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 and happy [is] she who did believe, for there shall be a completion to the things spoken to her from the Lord.'
And happy is she who believed that the things which the Lord has promised her, shall be performed.
46 And Mary said, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Then Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
48 Because He looked on the lowliness of His maid-servant, For, lo, henceforth call me happy shall all the generations,
because he has not disdained the low condition of his handmaid; for henceforth, all posterity will pronounce me happy.
49 For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy [is] His name,
For the Almighty, whose name is venerable, has done wonders for me.
50 And His kindness [is] to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,
His mercy on them who fear him, extends to generations of generations.
51 He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,
He displays the strength of his arm, and dispels the vain imaginations of the proud.
52 He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,
He pulls down potentates from their thrones, and exalts the lowly.
53 The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,
The needy he loads with benefits; but the rich he spoils of everything.
54 He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,
He supports Israel his servant, ever inclined to mercy,
(as he promised to our fathers) toward Abraham and his race. (aiōn g165)
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.
And Mary, after staying with Elizabeth about three months, returned home.
57 And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare a son,
When the time for Elizabeth's delivery was come, she brought forth a son;
58 and the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.
and her neighbors and relations who heard that the Lord had shown her great kindness, rejoiced with her.
59 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,
And, on the eighth day, when they came to the circumcision of the child, they would have called him by his father's name, Zacharias.
60 and his mother answering said, 'No, but he shall be called John.'
And his mother interposed, saying, No; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her — 'There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,'
They said to her, There is none of your kindred of that name.
62 and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,
They, therefore, asked his father by signs, how he would have him called.
63 and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, 'John is his name;' and they did all wonder;
He, having demanded a table-book, wrote upon it, His name is John, which surprised them all.
64 and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.
And his mouth was opened directly, and his tongue loosed. And he spoke, praising God.
65 And fear came upon all those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,
Now all in the neighborhood were struck with awe; and the fame of these things spread throughout all the hill country of Judea.
66 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.
And all who heard these things, pondering them in their hearts, said, What will this child hereafter be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,
Then Zacharias, his father, being filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying,
68 'Blessed [is] the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people;
69 And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,
and has raised a Prince for our deliverance in the house of David his servant;
(as anciently he promised by his holy prophets) (aiōn g165)
71 Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,
for our deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands of all who hate us;
72 To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,
in kindness to our forefathers, and remembrance of his holy institution;
73 An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,
the oath which he swore to our father Abraham,
74 To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,
to grant to us, that being rescued out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve him boldly,
75 To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.
in piety and uprightness all our days.
76 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.
And you, child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; for you shall go before the Lord, to prepare his way,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,
by giving the knowledge of salvation to his people, in the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon us,
through the tender compassion of our God, who has caused a light to spring from on high to visit us,
79 To give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, To guide our feet to a way of peace.'
to enlighten those who abide in darkness and in the shades of death; to direct our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit, and he was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Meantime the child grew, and acquired strength of mind, and continued in the deserts, until the time when he made himself known to Israel.
