Luqas (Luke) 1
1
1Since many have indeed taken in hand to set in order an account of the matters completely confirmed among us,
2as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,
3it seemed good to me as well, having followed up all these matters exactly from the beginning, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilos,
4that you might know the certainty of the words which you were taught.
5There was in the days of Herodes, the sovereign of Yehuḏah, a certain priest named Zeḵaryah, of the division of Aḇiyah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aharon, and her name was Elisheḇa.
6And they were both righteous before Elohim, blamelessly walking in all the commands and righteousnesses of יהוה.
7And they had no child, because Elisheḇa was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8And it came to be, that while he was serving as priest before Elohim in the order of his division,
9according to the institute of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to burn incense when he went into the Dwelling Place of יהוה.
10And the entire crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
11And a messenger of יהוה appeared to him, standing on the right side of the slaughter-place of incense.
12And when Zeḵaryah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13But the messenger said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zeḵaryah, for your prayer is heard. And your wife Elisheḇa shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yoḥanan.
14“And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15“For he shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
16“And he shall turn many of the children of Yisra’ĕl to יהוה their Elohim.
17“And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Ěliyahu, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’# Mal. 4:6 and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for יהוה.”
18And Zeḵaryah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in years.”
19And the messenger answering, said to him, “I am Gaḇri’ĕl, who stands in the presence of Elohim, and was sent to speak to you and announce to you this good news.
20But see, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day this takes place, because you did not believe my words which shall be filled in their appointed time.
21And the people waited for Zeḵaryah, and marvelled at his delay in the Dwelling Place.
22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them. And they recognised that he had seen a vision in the Dwelling Place, for he was beckoning to them and remained dumb.
23And it came to be, as soon as the days of his service were completed, he went away to his house.
24And after those days his wife Elisheḇa conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying,
25יהוה has done this for me, in the days when He looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.
26And in the sixth month the messenger Gaḇri’ĕl was sent by Elohim to a city of Galil named Natsareth,
27to a maiden engaged to a man whose name was Yosĕph, of the house of Dawiḏ. And the maiden’s name was Miryam.
28And the messenger, coming to her, said, “Greetings, favoured one, the Master is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
29But she was greatly disturbed at his word, and wondered what kind of greeting this was.
30And the messenger said to her, “Do not be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favour with Elohim.
31And see, you shall conceive in your womb, and shall give birth to a Son, and call His Name יהושע.#See Mat. 1:21
32“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And יהוה Elohim shall give Him the throne of His father Dawiḏ.
33“And He shall reign over the house of Ya‛aqoḇ forever, and there shall be no end to His reign.”#See Psa. 2; Psa. 89:14-34; Isa. 9:7; Isa. 16:5; Jer. 23:3-6; Jer. 30:9; Eze. 37:24; Dan. 2:44; Dan. 7:18-27; Mic. 5:2-4; Acts 1:6, 7; Rev. 11:15
34And Miryam said to the messenger, “How shall this be, since I do not know a man?”
35And the messenger answering, said to her, “The Set-apart Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. And for that reason the Set-apart One born of you shall be called: Son of Elohim.
36“And see, Elisheḇa your relative, she has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month to her who was called barren,
37“because with Elohim no matter shall be impossible.
38And Miryam said, “See the female servant of יהוה! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the messenger went away from her.
39And Miryam arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Yehuḏah,
40and entered into the house of Zeḵaryah and greeted Elisheḇa.
41And it came to be, when Elisheḇa heard the greeting of Miryam, that the baby leaped in her womb. And Elisheḇa was filled with the Set-apart Spirit,
42and called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43“And who am I, that the mother of my Master should come to me?
44“For look, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45Blessed is she who believed, for that which יהוה has said to her shall be accomplished!
46And Miryam said, “My being makes יהוה great,
47and my spirit has rejoiced in Elohim my Saviour.
48Because He looked on the humiliation of His female servant. For look, from now on all generations shall call me blessed.#See also 1Sam. 1:11; 1Sam. 2:1
49“For He who is mighty has done wonders for me, and set-apart is His Name.#See also Psa. 111:9
50“And His compassion is from generation to generation, to those who fear Him.# Psa. 103:17
51“He did mightily with His arm; He scattered the proud in the thought of their hearts.
52“He brought down rulers from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
53“He has filled the hungry with good items,# Psa. 107:9 and the rich He has sent away empty.
54“He sustained Yisra’ĕl, His servant, in remembrance of His compassion,
55“as He spoke to our fathers, to Aḇraham and to his seed, forever.
56And Miryam stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home.
57And the time was filled for Elisheḇa to give birth, and she bore a son.
58And her neighbours and relatives heard how יהוה had shown great compassion to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59And it came to be, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child. And they were calling him by the name of his father, Zeḵaryah.
60And his mother answering, said, “Not so, but he shall be called Yoḥanan.”
61And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”
62Then they motioned to his father, what he would like him to be called.
63And having asked for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “Yoḥanan is his name.” And they all marvelled.
64And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he was speaking, praising Elohim.
65And fear came on all those dwelling around them, and all these matters were spoken of in all the hill country of Yehuḏah.
66And all who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What then shall this child be?” And the hand of יהוה was with him.
67And Zeḵaryah, his father, was filled with the Set-apart Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
68“Blessed be יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl,# Psa. 41:13#See also Psa. 72:18; Psa. 106:48 for He did look upon and worked redemption for His people,
69and has raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of His servant Dawiḏ,
70as He spoke by the mouth of His set-apart prophets, from of old –
71deliverance from our enemies and from the hand of all those hating us,# Psa. 106:10
72to show compassion toward our fathers and to remember His set-apart covenant,
73an oath which He swore to our father Aḇraham:
74to give to us, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, to serve Him without fear,
75in set-apartness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76And you, child, shall be called prophet of the Most High, for you shall go before the face of יהוה to prepare His ways,# Mal. 3:1#See also Isa. 40:3; John 1:23
77to give knowledge of deliverance to His people, by the forgiveness of their sins,
78through the tender compassion of our Elohim, with which the daybreak from on high has looked upon us,
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,# Isa. 9:1 to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of showing himself openly to Yisra’ĕl.
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Luqas (Luke) 1: TS2009
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Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.
Luke 1
1
1-4So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story’s beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.
A Childless Couple Conceives
5-7During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.
8-12It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.
13-15a But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God.
15b-17 “He’ll drink neither wine nor beer. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”
18Zachariah said to the angel, “Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman.”
19-20But the angel said, “I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won’t believe me, you’ll be unable to say a word until the day of your son’s birth. Every word I’ve spoken to you will come true on time—God’s time.”
21-22Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn’t speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.
23-25When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” she said.
A Virgin Conceives
26-28In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:
Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.
29-33She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.
He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”
34Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”
35The angel answered,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.
36-38“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
And Mary said,
Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.
Then the angel left her.
Blessed Among Women
39-45Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,
You’re so blessed among women,
and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that
the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your
greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb
skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said,
believed every word would come true!
46-55And Mary said,
I’m bursting with God-news;
I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
beginning with Abraham and right up to now.
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.
The Birth of John
57-58When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.
59-60On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: “No. He is to be called John.”
61-62“But,” they said, “no one in your family is named that.” They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.
63-64Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, “His name is to be John.” That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah’s mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!
65-66A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this.”
67-79Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he came and set his people free.
He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,
and in the very house of David his servant,
Just as he promised long ago
through the preaching of his holy prophets:
Deliverance from our enemies
and every hateful hand;
Mercy to our fathers,
as he remembers to do what he said he’d do,
What he swore to our father Abraham—
a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
So we can worship him without a care in the world,
made holy before him as long as we live.
And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”
will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
Present the offer of salvation to his people,
the forgiveness of their sins.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace.
80The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.