Luke 1:1-47 ▼

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.”

21 And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his lingering in the temple,

22 and having come out, he was not able to speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he was beckoning to them, and remained mute.

23 And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,

24 and after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

25 “Thus the LORD has done to me, in days in which He looked on [me], to take away my reproach among men.”

26 And in the sixth month the messenger Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which [is] Nazareth,

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.

28 And the messenger having come in to her, said, “Greetings, favored one, the LORD [is] with you; blessed [are] you among women”;

29 and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.

30 And the messenger said to her, “Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God;

31 and behold, you will conceive in the womb, and will bring forth a Son, and call His Name Jesus;

32 He will be great, and He will be called Son of the Highest, and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David,

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob for all ages; and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the messenger, “How will this be, seeing I do not know a husband?”

35 And the messenger answering said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, therefore also the holy-begotten thing will be called Son of God;

36 and behold, Elizabeth, your relative, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called barren;

37 because nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said, “Behold, the maidservant of the LORD; let it be to me according to your saying,” and the messenger went away from her.

39 And Mary having arisen in those days, went into the hill-country, with haste, to a city of Judea,

40 and entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the baby leapt in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

42 and spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the Fruit of your womb;

43 and from where [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come to me?

44 For behold, when the voice of your salutation came to my ears, the baby in my womb leapt in gladness;

45 and blessed [is] she who believed, for there will be a completion to the things spoken to her from the LORD.”

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the LORD,

47 And my spirit was glad on God my Savior,