Luke 1

1Many people have tried to write an account of the events that have been fulfilled among us.

2These things were handed down to us by those who saw them from the beginning and served as ministers of God's word.

3So I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most honorable Theophilus, since I have carefully studied everything from the very beginning.

4I want you to know that the things you were taught are certain and true.

5In the days when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly group of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

6Zechariah and Elizabeth were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the Lord's commands and rules.

7But they had no children, because Elizabeth could not have children, and both of them were now very old.

8One day Zechariah was serving as priest before God, since it was his group's turn to serve.

9According to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10The whole crowd of people was praying outside at the time of the incense offering.

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the incense altar.

12When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and gripped with fear.

13But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son, and you must name him John.

14You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

15Because he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

16He will turn many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God.

17He will go ahead of the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of parents toward their children, and to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare a people ready for the Lord.

18Zechariah asked the angel: How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.

19The angel answered him: I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.

20Listen: you will be unable to speak and unable to hear, until the day these things happen, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.

21Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, wondering why he was staying so long in the temple.

22When he came out, he could not speak to them or hear them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, because he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23When his time of service was over, Zechariah went home.

24After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she stayed in seclusion. She said:

25This is what the Lord has done for me. In these days he has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

27To a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, of the family of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

28The angel came to her and said: Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.

29Mary was deeply troubled by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this could be.

30The angel said to her: Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God.

31You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you must name Him JESUS.

32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David,

33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.

34Mary asked the angel: How can this happen, since I am a virgin?

35The angel answered her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God.

36And listen: your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son in her old age. She was said to be unable to have children, but she is now in her sixth month.

37For nothing is impossible with God.

38Mary said: I am the Lord's servant. May it happen to me just as you have said. Then the angel left her.

39Soon after this, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea.

40She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42She cried out in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44As soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the baby inside me leaped for joy.

45Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill what He said to her!

46Then Mary said: My soul praises the greatness of the Lord,

47And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48Because He has noticed the humble condition of His servant. From now on, all people will call me blessed,

49Because the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.

50His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from one generation to the next.

51He has done mighty deeds with His arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their inner thoughts.

52He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the humble.

53He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

54He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,

55Just as He promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and His descendants forever.

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

57When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a son.

58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared in her joy.

59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.

60But his mother spoke up and said: No! He is to be named John.

61They said to her: There is no one among your relatives who has that name.

62Since Zechariah could not hear, they made signs to him, asking what he wanted to name the child.

63Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's surprise he wrote: His name is John.

64At once his mouth was opened and his tongue was set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

65All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

66Everyone who heard about it wondered, asking: What then will this child become? For the Lord's hand was with him.

67Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to help His people and has set them free.

69He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the house of His servant David,

70Just as He promised long ago through His holy prophets:

71Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

72To show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant,

73The oath he swore to our father Abraham:

74To rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear,

75In holiness and righteousness before Him, all our days.

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare His way,

77To give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

78Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.

80The child grew up and became strong in spirit. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.