Now at this time Mary arose and hurried to the hill country, to a city of Judah (Judea), and she entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him. And she exclaimed loudly, “Blessed [worthy to be praised] are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God] is she who believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has looked [with loving care] on the humble state of His maidservant;
For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God!
For He who is mighty has done great things for me;
And holy is His name [to be worshiped in His purity, majesty, and glory].
AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
TOWARD THOSE WHO [stand in great awe of God and] FEAR HIM.
He has done mighty deeds with His [powerful] arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And exalted those who were humble.
HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
Just as He promised to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then returned to her home.
Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.
It happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child [as required by the Law], and they intended to name him Zacharias, after his father; but his mother answered, “No indeed; instead he will be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by that name.” Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. At once Zacharias’ mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking, praising and blessing and thanking God. Then fear came on all their neighbors; and all these things were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this little boy turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him [to bring about his birth].
Now Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him, and he prophesied, saying,
“Blessed (praised, glorified) be the Lord, the God of Israel,
Because He has visited us and brought redemption to His people,
And He has raised up a horn of salvation [a mighty and valiant Savior] for us
In the house of David His servant—
Just as He promised by the mouth of His holy prophets from the most ancient times—
Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,
And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;
To show mercy [as He promised] to our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant [the promised blessing],
The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness [being set apart] and righteousness [being upright] before Him all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD (the Messiah) TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;
To give His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise (the Messiah) from on high will dawn and visit us,
TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet [in a straight line] into the way of peace and serenity.”
The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel [as John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah].
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