Luke 1
1
Luke Writes About the Life of Jesus
1Most Honorable Theophilus:
Many others have tried to give a report of the things that happened among us to complete God’s plan. 2What they have written agrees with what we learned from the people who saw those events from the beginning. They also served God by telling people his message. 3I studied it all carefully from the beginning. Then I decided to write it down for you in an organized way. 4I did this so that you can be sure that what you have been taught is true.
Zechariah and Elizabeth
5During the time when Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to Abijah’s group.#1:5 Abijah’s group Jewish priests were divided into 24 groups. See 1 Chron. 24. His wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. 6Zechariah and Elizabeth were both good people who pleased God. They did everything the Lord commanded, always following his instructions completely. 7But they had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby, and both of them were very old.
8Zechariah was serving as a priest before God for his group. It was his group’s time to serve. 9The priests always chose one priest to offer the incense, and Zechariah was the one chosen this time. So he went into the Temple of the Lord to offer the incense. 10There was a large crowd outside praying at the time the incense was offered.
11Then, on the right side of the incense table, an angel of the Lord came and stood before Zechariah. 12When he saw the angel, Zechariah was upset and very afraid. 13But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a baby boy, and you will name him John. 14You will be very happy, and many others will share your joy over his birth. 15He will be a great man for the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer. Even before he is born, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
16“John will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God. 17John himself will go ahead of the Lord and make people ready for his coming. He will be powerful like Elijah and will have the same spirit. He will make peace between fathers and their children. He will cause people who are not obeying God to change and start thinking the way they should.”
18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is also old.”
19The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, the one who always stands ready before God. He sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news. 20Now, listen! You will not be able to talk until the day when these things happen. You will lose your speech because you did not believe what I told you. But everything I said will really happen.”
21Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple. 22Then Zechariah came outside, but he could not speak to them. So the people knew that he had seen a vision inside the Temple. He was not able to speak, so he could only make signs to the people. 23When his time of service was finished, he went home.
24Later, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth became pregnant. So she did not go out of her house for five months. She said, 25“Look what the Lord has done for me! He decided to help me. Now people will stop thinking there is something wrong with me.”
The Virgin Mary
26-27During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin girl who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. 28The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord is with you; you are very special to him.”
29But Mary was very confused about what the angel said. She wondered, “What does this mean?”
30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God is very pleased with you. 31Listen! You will become pregnant and have a baby boy. You will name him Jesus. 32He will be great. People will call him the Son of the Most High God, and the Lord God will make him king like his ancestor David. 33He will rule over the people of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen? I am still a virgin.”
35The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High God will cover you. The baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. 36And here’s something else: Your relative Elizabeth is pregnant. She is very old, but she is going to have a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant now for six months. 37God can do anything!”
38Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let this thing you have said happen to me!” Then the angel went away.
Mary Visits Zechariah and Elizabeth
39Mary got up and went quickly 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 unborn baby inside her jumped, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42In a loud voice she said to Mary, “God has blessed you more than any other woman. And God has blessed the baby you will have. 43You are the mother of my Lord, and you have come to me! Why has something so good happened to me? 44When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped with joy. 45Great blessings are yours because you believed what the Lord said to you! You believed this would happen.”
Mary Praises God
46Then Mary said,
“I praise the Lord with all my heart.
47I am very happy because God is my Savior.
48I am not important,
but he has shown his care for me, his lowly servant.
From now until the end of time,
people will remember how much God blessed me.
49Yes, the Powerful One has done great things for me.
His name is very holy.
50He always gives mercy
to those who worship him.
51He reached out his arm and showed his power.
He scattered those who are proud and think great things about themselves.
52He brought down rulers from their thrones
and raised up the humble people.
53He filled the hungry with good things,
but he sent the rich away with nothing.
54God has helped Israel—the people he chose to serve him.
He did not forget his promise to give us his mercy.
55He has done what he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then went home.
The Birth of John
57When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a boy. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord was very good to her, and they were happy for her.
59When the baby was eight days old, they came to circumcise him. They wanted to name him Zechariah because this was his father’s name. 60But his mother said, “No, he will be named John.”
61The people said to Elizabeth, “But no one in your family has that name.” 62Then they made signs to his father, “What would you like to name him?”
63Zechariah asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was surprised. 64Then Zechariah could talk again, and he began praising God. 65And all their neighbors were afraid. In all the hill country of Judea, people continued talking about these things. 66Everyone who heard about these things wondered about them. They thought, “What will this child be?” They could see that the Lord was with him.
Zechariah Praises God
67Then Zechariah, John’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the people a message from God:
68“Praise to the Lord God of Israel.
He has come to help his people
and has given them freedom.
69He has given us a powerful Savior
from the family of his servant David.
70This is what he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71He will save us from our enemies
and from the power of all those who hate us.
72God said he would show mercy to our fathers,
and he remembered his holy agreement.
73This was the promise he made to our father Abraham,
74a promise to free us from the power of our enemies,
so that we could serve him without fear
75in a way that is holy and right for as long as we live.
76“Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Most High God.
You will go first before the Lord to prepare the way for him.
77You will make his people understand that they will be saved
by having their sins forgiven.
78“With the loving mercy of our God,
a new day#1:78 new day Literally, “dawn,” used here as a symbol, probably meaning the Lord’s Messiah. from heaven will shine on us.
79It will bring light to those who live in darkness, in the fear of death.
It will guide us into the way that brings peace.”
80And so the little boy John grew up and became stronger in spirit. Then he lived in areas away from other people until the time when he came out to tell God’s message to the people of Israel.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Luke 1
1
1Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled amongst us, 2even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisheva. 6They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7But they had no child, because Elisheva was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
8 Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division 9according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, because your request has been heard. Your wife, Elisheva, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yochanan. 14You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’#Malachi 4:6 and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20Behold,#1:20 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. you will be silent and not able to speak until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
21 The people were waiting for Zechariah, and they marvelled that he delayed in the temple. 22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute. 23When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house. 24After these days Elisheva his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying, 25“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach amongst men.”
26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Miriam. 28Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favoured one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favour with God. 31Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Yeshua.’ 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”
34Miriam said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. 36Behold, Elisheva your relative also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”#1:37 or, “For everything spoken by God is possible.”
38Miriam said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
39Miriam arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, 40and entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elisheva. 41When Elisheva heard Miriam’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb; and Elisheva was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43Why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy! 45Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!”
46Miriam said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord.
47 My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked at the humble state of his servant.
For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
49 For he who is mighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for generations and generations on those who fear him.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down princes from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and his offspring#1:55 or, seed forever.”
56Miriam stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.
57 Now the time that Elisheva should give birth was fulfilled, and she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbours and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her, and they rejoiced with her. 59On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zechariah, after the name of his father. 60His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called Yochanan.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one amongst your relatives who is called by this name.” 62They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
63 He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is Yochanan.”
They all marvelled. 64His mouth was opened immediately and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” The hand of the Lord was with him.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people;
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
70(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
74 to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the dawn from on high will visit us,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 The child was growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
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