20:1 Now one 2 day, as Jesus 3 was teaching the people in the temple courts 4 and proclaiming 5 the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law 6 with the elders came up 7
1:1 Now 8 many have undertaken to compile an account 9 of the things 10 that have been fulfilled 11 among us, 1:2 like the accounts 12 passed on 13 to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word 14 from the beginning. 15 1:3 So 16 it seemed good to me as well, 17 because I have followed 18 all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account 19 for you, most excellent Theophilus, 1:4 so that you may know for certain 20 the things you were taught. 21
1:5 During the reign 22 of Herod 23 king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to 24 the priestly division of Abijah, 25 and he had a wife named Elizabeth, 26 who was a descendant of Aaron. 27 1:6 They 28 were both righteous in the sight of God, following 29 all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 30 1:7 But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, 31 and they were both very old. 32
1:8 Now 33 while Zechariah 34 was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 35 1:9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, 36 to enter 37 the holy place 38 of the Lord and burn incense. 1:10 Now 39 the whole crowd 40 of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. 41 1:11 An 42 angel of the Lord, 43 standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared 44 to him. 1:12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, 45 was seized with fear. 46 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, 47 and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you 48 will name him John. 49 1:14 Joy and gladness will come 50 to you, and many will rejoice at 51 his birth, 52 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of 53 the Lord. He 54 must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 55 1:16 He 56 will turn 57 many of the people 58 of Israel to the Lord their God. 1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord 59 in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 60 to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”
1:18 Zechariah 61 said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? 62 For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” 63 1:19 The 64 angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands 65 in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring 66 you this good news. 1:20 And now, 67 because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, 68 you will be silent, unable to speak, 69 until the day these things take place.”
1:21 Now 70 the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder 71 why he was delayed in the holy place. 72 1:22 When 73 he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They 74 realized that he had seen a vision 75 in the holy place, 76 because 77 he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak. 78 1:23 When his time of service was over, 79 he went to his home.
1:24 After some time 80 his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, 81 and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. 82 She said, 83 1:25 “This is what 84 the Lord has done for me at the time 85 when he has been gracious to me, 86 to take away my disgrace 87 among people.” 88
1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 89 the angel Gabriel 90 was sent by 91 God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 92 1:27 to a virgin engaged 93 to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, 94 and the virgin’s name was Mary. 1:28 The 95 angel 96 came 97 to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, 98 the Lord is with you!” 99 1:29 But 100 she was greatly troubled 101 by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 102 1:30 So 103 the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, 104 Mary, for you have found favor 105 with God! 1:31 Listen: 106 You will become pregnant 107 and give birth to 108 a son, and you will name him 109 Jesus. 110 1:32 He 111 will be great, 112 and will be called the Son of the Most High, 113 and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father 114 David. 1:33 He 115 will reign over the house of Jacob 116 forever, and his kingdom will never end.” 1:34 Mary 117 said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with 118 a man?” 1:35 The angel replied, 119 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow 120 you. Therefore the child 121 to be born 122 will be holy; 123 he will be called the Son of God.
1:36 “And look, 124 your relative 125 Elizabeth has also become pregnant with 126 a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! 127 1:37 For nothing 128 will be impossible with God.” 1:38 So 129 Mary said, “Yes, 130 I am a servant 131 of the Lord; let this happen to me 132 according to your word.” 133 Then 134 the angel departed from her.
1:39 In those days 135 Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, 136 1:40 and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 1:41 When 137 Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped 138 in her 139 womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 140 1:42 She 141 exclaimed with a loud voice, 142 “Blessed are you among women, 143 and blessed is the child 144 in your womb! 1:43 And who am I 145 that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? 1:44 For the instant 146 the sound of your greeting reached my ears, 147 the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 148 1:45 And blessed 149 is she who believed that 150 what was spoken to her by 151 the Lord would be fulfilled.” 152
1:46 And Mary 153 said, 154
“My soul exalts 155 the Lord, 156
1:47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice 157 in God my Savior,
1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. 158
For 159 from now on 160 all generations will call me blessed, 161
1:49 because he who is mighty 162 has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
1:50 from 163 generation to generation he is merciful 164 to those who fear 165 him.
1:51 He has demonstrated power 166 with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance 167 of their hearts.
1:52 He has brought down the mighty 168 from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; 169
1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, 170 and has sent the rich away empty. 171
1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering 172 his mercy, 173
1:55 as he promised 174 to our ancestors, 175 to Abraham and to his descendants 176 forever.”
1:56 So 177 Mary stayed with Elizabeth 178 about three months 179 and then returned to her home.
1:57 Now the time came 180 for Elizabeth to have her baby, 181 and she gave birth to a son. 1:58 Her 182 neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown 183 great mercy to her, and they rejoiced 184 with her.
1:59 On 185 the eighth day 186 they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name 187 him Zechariah after his father. 1:60 But 188 his mother replied, 189 “No! He must be named 190 John.” 191 1:61 They 192 said to her, “But 193 none of your relatives bears this name.” 194 1:62 So 195 they made signs to the baby’s 196 father, 197 inquiring what he wanted to name his son. 198 1:63 He 199 asked for a writing tablet 200 and wrote, 201 “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 202 1:64 Immediately 203 Zechariah’s 204 mouth was opened and his tongue 205 released, 206 and he spoke, blessing God. 1:65 All 207 their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about. 1:66 All 208 who heard these things 209 kept them in their hearts, 210 saying, “What then will this child be?” 211 For the Lord’s hand 212 was indeed with him.
1:67 Then 213 his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, 214
1:68 “Blessed 215 be the Lord God of Israel,
because he has come to help 216 and has redeemed 217 his people.
1:69 For 218 he has raised up 219 a horn of salvation 220 for us in the house of his servant David, 221
1:70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago, 222
1:71 that we should be saved 223 from our enemies, 224
and from the hand of all who hate us.
1:72 He has done this 225 to show mercy 226 to our ancestors, 227
and to remember his holy covenant 228 –
1:73 the oath 229 that he swore to our ancestor 230 Abraham.
This oath grants 231
1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our 232 enemies,
may serve him without fear, 233
1:75 in holiness and righteousness 234 before him for as long as we live. 235
1:76 And you, child, 236 will be called the prophet 237 of the Most High. 238
For you will go before 239 the Lord to prepare his ways, 240
1:77 to give his people knowledge of salvation 241 through the forgiveness 242 of their sins.
1:78 Because of 243 our God’s tender mercy 244
the dawn 245 will break 246 upon us from on high
1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 247
to guide our feet into the way 248 of peace.”
1:80 And the child kept growing 249 and becoming strong 250 in spirit, and he was in the wilderness 251 until the day he was revealed 252 to Israel.