| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | New Living Translation |
| 1[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 1Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. |
| 2[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 2They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. |
| 3[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 3Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, |
| 4[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 4so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold |
| 5[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 5When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. |
| 6[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 6Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. |
| 7[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 7They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. |
| 8[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 8One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. |
| 9[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 9As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. |
| 10[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 10While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. |
| 11[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 11While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. |
| 12[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 12Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. |
| 13[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 13But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. |
| 14[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 14You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, |
| 15[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. |
| 16[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 16And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. |
| 17[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 17He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” |
| 18[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” |
| 19[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 19Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! |
| 20[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 20But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” |
| 21[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. |
| 22[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 22When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. |
| 23[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 23When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. |
| 24[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 24Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. |
| 25[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 25“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” The Birth of Jesus Foretold |
| 26[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, |
| 27[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 27to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. |
| 28[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 28Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ” |
| 29[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 29Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. |
| 30[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 30“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! |
| 31[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. |
| 32[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 32He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. |
| 33[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 33And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” |
| 34[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 34Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” |
| 35[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. |
| 36[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 36What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. |
| 37[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 37For the word of God will never fail. ” |
| 38[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 38Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Mary Visits Elizabeth |
| 39[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 39A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town |
| 40[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 40where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. |
| 41[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 41At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. |
| 42[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 42Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. |
| 43[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 43Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? |
| 44[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 44When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. |
| 45[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 45You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise |
| 46[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 46Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. |
| 47[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 47How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! |
| 48[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 48For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. |
| 49[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 49For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. |
| 50[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 50He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. |
| 51[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 51His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. |
| 52[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 52He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. |
| 53[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 53He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. |
| 54[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 54He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. |
| 55[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 55For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.” |
| 56[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 56Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home. The Birth of John the Baptist |
| 57[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 57When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. |
| 58[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 58And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her. |
| 59[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 59When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. |
| 60[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 60But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!” |
| 61[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 61“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” |
| 62[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 62So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. |
| 63[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 63He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” |
| 64[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 64Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God. |
| 65[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 65Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. |
| 66[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 66Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way. Zechariah’s Prophecy |
| 67[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 67Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: |
| 68[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. |
| 69[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 69He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, |
| 70[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 70just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. |
| 71[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 71Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. |
| 72[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 72He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— |
| 73[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 73the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. |
| 74[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 74We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, |
| 75[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 75in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. |
| 76[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 76“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. |
| 77[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 77You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. |
| 78[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 78Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, |
| 79[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” |
| 80[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 80John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. |
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
