Luke 1

¹Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative concerning the events that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and became servants of the word handed them down to us, ³it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely from the start with precision, to write to you in an orderly manner, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know with certainty the things about which you have been instructed.

⁵In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zechariah, of the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their years.

⁸Now it happened that while he was serving as priest before God during his division's turn of duty, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵For he will be great before the Lord. Wine and strong drink he shall never drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb. ¹⁶He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to prepare for the Lord a people made ready."

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years." ¹⁹And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their appointed time."

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. ²²When he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³And when the days of his service were completed, he went home.

²⁴After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself hidden for five months, saying, ²⁵"This is what the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked upon me to take away my disgrace among people."

²⁶In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸And coming to her, he said, "Rejoice, graced one! The Lord is with you." ²⁹But she was deeply troubled by his words and pondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

³⁴Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not known a man?" ³⁵The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the holy one to be born will be called Son of God. ³⁶And behold, your relative Elizabeth—she too has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷For no word from God will be impossible." ³⁸Mary said, "Behold, the slave of the Lord. Let it happen to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

³⁹In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, ⁴⁰and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴²and she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the infant leaped for joy in my womb. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

⁴⁶And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has looked upon the lowliness of his slave. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰His mercy extends to generation after generation for those who fear him. ⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the arrogant in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. ⁵⁴He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, ⁵⁵just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

⁵⁶Mary stayed with her about three months and then returned to her home.

⁵⁷Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. ⁶⁰But his mother answered, "No! He shall be called John." ⁶¹They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." ⁶²So they made signs to his father, asking what he wanted him to be called. ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And everyone was amazed. ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, blessing God. ⁶⁵Fear came upon all who lived around them, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were being talked about. ⁶⁶All who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child become?" For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

⁶⁸"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought about redemption for his people. ⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant, ⁷⁰just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old— ⁷¹salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, ⁷²to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, ⁷³the oath that he swore to Abraham our father, to grant us ⁷⁴that we, having been rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins, ⁷⁸because of the compassionate mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will visit us, ⁷⁹to shine upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

⁸⁰The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.