Luke 1:1-20 ▼

1 Seeing that many took in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,

2 as they delivered to us, who from the beginning became eyewitnesses, and officers of the word,

3 it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to you in order, most noble Theophilus,

4 that you may know the certainty of the things wherein you were instructed.

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the division of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth;

6 and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the LORD blameless,

7 and they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.

8 And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his division before God,

9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make incense, having gone into the temple of the LORD,

10 and all the multitude of the people were praying outside, at the hour of the incense.

11 And there appeared to him a messenger of the LORD standing on the right side of the altar of the incense,

12 and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;

13 and the messenger said to him, “Do not fear, Zacharias, for your supplication was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son to you, and you will call his name John,

14 and there will be joy to you, and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

15 for he will be great before the LORD, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and he will be full of the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb;

16 and he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the LORD their God,

17 and he will go before Him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to the wisdom of righteous ones, to make ready for the LORD, a people prepared.”

18 And Zacharias said to the messenger, “Whereby will I know this? For I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?”

19 And the messenger answering said to him, “I am Gabriel, who has been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak to you, and to proclaim this good news to you,

20 and behold, you will be silent, and not able to speak, until the day that these things will come to pass, because you did not believe my words that will be fulfilled in their season.”