Luke 1

₁Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, ₂just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, ₃it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ₄that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

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

₈Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ₉according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ₁₀And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ₁₁And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on 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 prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ₁₄And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ₁₅for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ₁₆And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ₁₇and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

₁₈And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ₁₉And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand 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 that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ₂₁And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. ₂₂And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ₂₃And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

₂₄After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ₂₅“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

₂₆In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ₂₇to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ₂₈And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ₂₉But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ₃₀And the 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 the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ₃₃and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

₃₄And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

₃₅And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. ₃₆And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ₃₇For nothing will be impossible with God.” ₃₈And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be 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 in Judah, ₄₀and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ₄₁And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ₄₂and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “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 baby in my womb leaped for joy. ₄₅And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

₄₆And Mary said,

₅₇Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ₅₈And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. ₅₉And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, ₆₀but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” ₆₁And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” ₆₂And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. ₆₃And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. ₆₄And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. ₆₅And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, ₆₆and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

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