Luke 1

Luke Writes an Orderly Report

1Just as many others have already written about the things that have taken place among us, 2based on reports passed down from eyewitnesses, I also have looked into everything very carefully myself, going right back to the beginning. 3I’ve decided to write down an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4because I want you to know that what you’ve been taught is true.

The Coming Birth of John the Baptist

5During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to the group of priests named after Abijah. His wife was named Elizabeth, and she also came from the line of priests descended from Aaron. 6Both of them did what was right in God’s sight; they obeyed all of the Lord’s commands and instructions faithfully. 7But they didn’t have children, because Elizabeth was infertile, and by that point they were both very old.

8One day Zechariah’s group was on duty, and he was serving as a priest in God’s temple. 9He had been chosen by lot (which was how the priests were assigned duties) to go into the temple of the Lord, where he was supposed to burn incense. 10When the time came for him to do this, all the people who had gathered to worship were praying outside.

11Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. The angel came and stood at the right side of the incense altar. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was amazed and terrified. 13But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard—your wife Elizabeth is going to have a baby boy! You must name him John. 14He will be a joy and a delight to you, and his birth will also make many other people glad, 15because he will become such a great man in Lord’s sight. He must never drink wine or other alcohol. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is even born. 16He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. Having the same spirit and power as Elijah, he will go ahead of the Lord, creating peace between parents and their children and teaching people who are disobeying to be wise and do what is right. 17In this way, he will make sure that the people are ready for the Lord.”

18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? I’m an old man, and my wife is old too.”

19The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel! I’m the angel who stands right next to God! I’ve been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20But now you won’t be able to speak; you’ll have to be silent until after John is born, because you didn’t believe my words. They will come true at the time God has chosen.”

21While all this was happening, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the temple. They were wondering why he was staying in there for so long. 22When he did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. But eventually they understood that he’d seen a vision in the temple because he explained this to them in gestures, even though he didn’t get his voice back.

23When his time of service was over, he returned home. 24After that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, but she stayed out of sight for five months. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days, he has been good to me and taken away my shame among the people.”

The Coming Birth of Jesus

26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. 27He was sent to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, who came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

29Mary was troubled by these words; she wondered why the angel had greeted her that way. 30But he said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God has chosen to do something wonderful through you. 31You’re going to become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. 32He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his ancestor David, 33and he will rule over his people, the descendants of Jacob, forever—his kingdom will never end.”

34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I’m a virgin?”

35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you, so that the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God. 36Your relative Elizabeth is about to have a child even though she is old. People thought she couldn’t have children, but she has been pregnant now for six months. 37What God says always comes true.”

38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39Right away Mary packed up and hurried to the town in Judea’s hill country where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. 40When she got to their house, she went inside and greeted Elizabeth. 41As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby jumped inside her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and called out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the child in your womb! 43But why has God shown me so much favor that the mother of my Lord has come to see me? 44As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. 45Blessed are you, because you believed the Lord would keep his promises to you!”

Mary’s Song

46Mary said,

“My soul cries out that the Lord is great,

47and my spirit delights in God my Savior.

48He has taken note of me,

even though I am only his humble servant.

From now on all people will call me blessed,

49because the Mighty One has done great things for me—

his name is holy.

50He shows mercy to all those who respect him,

from parent to child down through the generations.

51He has done mighty things with his powerful arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts.

52He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

but he has lifted up people who weren’t considered important.

53He has filled with good things those who were hungry,

but he has sent the rich away empty.

54He has helped his servant, the people of Israel,

remembering to be merciful

55as he promised our fathers,

to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

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

John the Baptist Is Born

57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard how good the Lord had been to her and they shared her joy.

59On the eighth day, they came to have the child circumcised. They were going to name him Zechariah, like his father, 60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He has to be called John.”

61“None of your relatives has that name,” they protested.

62Then they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child. 63He asked for something to write on, and everyone was amazed when he wrote, “His name is John.” 64All of a sudden Zechariah could speak again, and right away he started praising God. 65All of his neighbors were filled with fear and wonder. Throughout Judea’s hill country, people began talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard what had happened wondered about it. Because the Lord was with John, they asked, “What is this child going to become?”

Zechariah’s Song

67John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied,

68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

He has visited his people and paid to set them free.

69He has acted with great power and saved us

through the family line of his servant David,

70as the holy prophets long ago said he would.

71He has saved us from our enemies

and rescued us from all who hate us.

72He has been merciful to our ancestors

and remembered his holy covenant,

73the promise he made to our father Abraham.

74He promised he would save us from our enemies,

so we could serve him without fear

75in holiness and justice, in his presence, as long as we live.

76“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God,

because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins.

78All this will happen because our God is tender and merciful;

his kindness will make the sun rise for us in the sky.

79It will shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

and it will guide our feet onto the path of peace.”

80The child grew up and his spirit became strong. He stayed in the desert until it was time for him to appear publicly to Israel.

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Luke 1

Luke Writes to Theophilus

1Many have attempted to write about what had taken place among us. 2They received their information from those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of God’s word from the beginning, and they passed it on to us. 3I, too, have followed everything closely from the beginning. So I thought it would be a good idea to write an orderly account for Your Excellency, Theophilus. 4In this way you will know that what you’ve been told is true.

The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zechariah

5When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division of priests named after Abijah. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. 6Zechariah and Elizabeth had God’s approval. They followed all the Lord’s commands and regulations perfectly. 7Yet, they never had any children because Elizabeth couldn’t become pregnant. Both of them were too old to have children.

8Zechariah was on duty with his division of priests. As he served in God’s presence, 9he was chosen by priestly custom to go into the Lord’s temple to burn incense. 10All the people were praying outside while he was burning incense.

11Then, to the right of the incense altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. 12Zechariah was troubled and overcome with fear.

13The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John. 14He will be your pride and joy, and many people will be glad that he was born. 15As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God. 17He will go ahead of the Lord with the spirit and power that Elijah had. He will change parents’ attitudes toward their children. He will change disobedient people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. In this way he will prepare the people for their Lord.”

18Zechariah said to the angel, “What proof is there for this? I’m an old man, and my wife is beyond her childbearing years.”

19The angel answered him, “I’m Gabriel! I stand in God’s presence. God sent me to tell you this good news. 20But because you didn’t believe what I said, you will be unable to talk until the day this happens. Everything will come true at the right time.”

21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were amazed that he was staying in the temple so long. 22When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. So they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. He motioned to them but remained unable to talk.

23When the days of his service were over, he went home. 24Later, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and didn’t go out in public for five months. She said, 25“The Lord has done this for me now. He has removed my public disgrace.”

The Angel Gabriel Comes to Mary

26Six months after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. 27The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendant of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28When the angel entered her home, he greeted her and said, “You are favored by the Lord! The Lord is with you.”

29She was startled by what the angel said and tried to figure out what this greeting meant.

30The angel told her,

“Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor #1:30 Or “grace.” with God.

31You will become pregnant, give birth to a son,

and name him Jesus.

32He will be a great man

and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him

the throne of his ancestor David.

33Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever,

and his kingdom will never end.”

34Mary asked the angel, “How can this be? I’m a virgin.”

35The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God.

36“Elizabeth, your relative, is six months pregnant with a son in her old age. People said she couldn’t have a child. 37But nothing is impossible for God.”

38Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.”

Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39Soon afterward, Mary hurried to a city in the mountain region of Judah. 40She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

41When Elizabeth heard the greeting, she felt the baby kick. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42She said in a loud voice, “You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child that you will have. 43I feel blessed that the mother of my Lord is visiting me. 44As soon as I heard your greeting, I felt the baby jump for joy. 45You are blessed for believing that the Lord would keep his promise to you.”

Mary Praises God

46Mary said,

“My soul praises the Lord’s greatness!

47My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior,

48because he has looked favorably on me, his humble servant.

“From now on, all people will call me blessed

49because the Almighty has done great things to me.

His name is holy.

50For those who fear him,

his mercy lasts throughout every generation.

51“He displayed his mighty power.

He scattered those who think too highly of themselves.

52He pulled strong rulers from their thrones.

He honored humble people.

53He fed hungry people with good food.

He sent rich people away with nothing.

54“He remembered to help his servant Israel forever.

55This is the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his descendants.”

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

John Is Born

57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her, and they shared her joy.

59When the child was eight days old, they went ⌞to the temple⌟ to circumcise him. They were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother spoke up, “Absolutely not! His name will be John.”

61Their friends said to her, “But you don’t have any relatives with that name.”

62So they motioned to the baby’s father to see what he wanted to name the child. 63Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was amazed.

64Suddenly, Zechariah was able to speak, and he began to praise God.

65All their neighbors were filled with awe. Throughout the mountain region of Judea, people talked about everything that had happened. 66Everyone who heard about it seriously thought it over and asked, “What does the future hold for this child?” It was clear that the Lord was with him.

67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

68“Praise the Lord God of Israel!

He has come to take care of his people

and to set them free.

69He has raised up a mighty Savior for us

in the family of his servant David.

70He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago.

71He promised to save us from our enemies

and from the power of all who hate us.

72He has shown his mercy to our ancestors

and remembered his holy promise,#1:72 Or “covenant.”

73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.

74He promised to rescue us from our enemies’ power

so that we could serve him without fear

75by being holy and honorable as long as we live.

76“You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High.

You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way.

77You will make his people know that they can be saved

through the forgiveness of their sins.

78A new day will dawn on us from above

because our God is loving and merciful.

79He will give light to those who live in the dark

and in death’s shadow.

He will guide us into the way of peace.”

80The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel.

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