Luke 1
1
1 Since, indeed, many have attempted to set in order a narrative of the things that have been completed among us,
2 just as they have been handed on to those of us who from the beginning saw the same and were ministers of the word,
3 so it seemed good to me also, having diligently followed everything from the beginning, to write to you, in an orderly manner, most excellent Theophilus,
4 so that you might know the truthfulness of those words by which you have been instructed.
5 There was, in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the section of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 Now they were both just before God, progressing in all of the commandments and the justifications of the Lord without blame.
7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both had become advanced in years.
8 Then it happened that, when he was exercising the priesthood before God, in the order of his section,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, the lot fell so that he would offer incense, entering into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the entire multitude of the people was praying outside, at the hour of incense.
11 Then there appeared to him an Angel of the Lord, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
12 And upon seeing him, Zechariah was disturbed, and fear fell over him.
13 But the Angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son to you. And you shall call his name John.
14 And there will be joy and exultation for you, and many will rejoice in his nativity.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 And he will convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, so that he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the incredulous to the prudence of the just, so as to prepare for the Lord a completed people."
18 And Zechariah said to the Angel: "How may I know this? For I am elderly, and my wife is advanced in years."
19 And in response, the Angel said to him: "I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have been sent to speak to you, and to proclaim these things to you.
20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak, until the day on which these things shall be, because you have not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."
21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they wondered why he was being delayed in the temple.
22 Then, when he came out, he was unable to speak to them. And they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was making signs to them, but he remained mute.
23 And it happened that, after the days of his office were completed, he went away to his house.
24 Then, after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she hid herself for five months, saying:
25 "For the Lord did this for me, at the time when he decided to take away my reproach among men."
26 Then, in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.
28 And upon entering, the Angel said to her: "Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women."
29 And when she had heard this, she was disturbed by his words, and she considered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 And the Angel said to her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God.
31 Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name: JESUS.
32 He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. And he will reign in the house of Jacob for eternity.
33 And his kingdom shall have no end."
34 Then Mary said to the Angel, "How shall this be done, since I do not know man?"
35 And in response, the Angel said to her: "The Holy Spirit will pass over you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And because of this also, the Holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of God.
36 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has herself also conceived a son, in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her who is called barren.
37 For no word will be impossible with God."
38 Then Mary said: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." And the Angel departed from her.
39 And in those days, Mary, rising up, traveled quickly into the hill country, to a city of Judah.
40 And she entered into the house of Zechariah, and she greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
43 And how does this concern me, so that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
44 For behold, as the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished."
46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord.
47 And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Saviour.
48 For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he who is great has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is from generation to generations for those who fear him.
51 He has accomplished powerful deeds with his arm. He has scattered the arrogant in the intentions of their heart.
52 He has deposed the powerful from their seat, and he has exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has taken up his servant Israel, mindful of his mercy,
55 just as he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
56 Then Mary stayed with her for about three months. And she returned to her own house.
57 Now the time for Elizabeth to give birth arrived, and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and so they congratulated her.
59 And it happened that, on the eighth day, they arrived to circumcise the boy, and they called him by his father's name, Zechariah.
60 And in response, his mother said: "Not so. Instead, he shall be called John."
61 And they said to her, "But there is no one among your relatives who is called by that name."
62 Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him to be called.
63 And requesting a writing tablet, he wrote, saying: "His name is John." And they all wondered.
64 Then, at once, his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosened, and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And fear fell upon all of their neighbors. And all these words were made known throughout all the hill country of Judea.
66 And all those who heard it stored it up in their heart, saying: "What do you think this boy will be?" And indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he prophesied, saying:
68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For he has visited and has wrought the redemption of his people.
69 And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant,
70 just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from ages past:
71 salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us,
72 to accomplish mercy with our fathers, and to call to mind his holy testament,
73 the oath, which he swore to Abraham, our father, that he would grant to us,
74 so that, having been freed from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and in justice before him, throughout all our days.
76 And you, child, shall be called the 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 for the remission of their sins,
78 through the heart of the mercy of our God, by which, descending from on high, he has visited us,
79 to illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace."
80 And the child grew, and he was strengthened in spirit. And he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
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Luke 1
1
Introduction
1Since [as is well known] many have undertaken to compile an orderly account of the things which have been fulfilled among us [by God], 2exactly as they were handed down to us by those [with personal experience] who from the beginning [of Christ’s ministry] were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word [that is, of the teaching concerning salvation through faith in Christ], 3it seemed fitting for #1:3 Luke may have been a Gentile. If so, he is the only Gentile author whose work is included in the NT. In addition to The Gospel of Luke, he wrote The Acts of the Apostles, and is thought by some scholars to have been the author of The Letter to the Hebrews.me as well, [and so I have decided] after having carefully searched out and investigated all the events accurately, from the very beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus; [Acts 1:1] 4so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been #1:4 Or orally instructed.taught [that is, the history and doctrine of the faith].
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5In the days of Herod [the Great], king of Judea, there was a certain priest whose name was #1:5 I.e. Zechariah. The spelling is different because a Greek word cannot end with an “h,” and in place of “ah” the common Greek ending “-as” was substituted.Zacharias, of #1:5 King David organized the priests into 24 groups or divisions, each headed by a president. A division served twice a year for a week at a time (1 Chr 24:1-19).the division of Abijah. His wife was #1:5 Lit from the daughters of.a descendant of Aaron [the first high priest of Israel], and her name was Elizabeth. 6They both were righteous (approved) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.
8Now it happened while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the appointed order of his priestly division, 9as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter [the sanctuary of] the temple of the Lord and #1:9 I.e. normally a once-in-a-lifetime privilege for a priest.burn incense [on the altar of incense]. [Ex 30:7] 10And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering. 11And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him #1:13 John the Baptist is considered the last of the Old Testament prophets. His mother, Elizabeth, and Mary the mother of Jesus, were related (1:36), and Mary may have been with Elizabeth at the time John was born (1:56). John the Baptist is not to be confused with John the Apostle who, along with his brother James, was among the twelve disciples of Jesus. John and James were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. John the Apostle authored the Gospel of John, three brief letters (1 John, 2 John, 3 John), and Revelation.John. 14You will have great joy and delight, and many will rejoice over his birth, 15for he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord; and will never drink wine or liquor, and he will be filled with and empowered to act by the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. [Num 6:3] 16He will turn many of the sons of Israel back [from sin] to [love and serve] the Lord their God. 17It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous [which is to seek and submit to the will of God]—in order to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.” [Is 40:3; Mal 4:5, 6]
18And Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I be certain of this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in age.” 19The angel replied and said to him, “I am Gabriel; I stand and minister in the [very] presence of God, and I have been sent [by Him] to speak to you and to bring you this good news. [Dan 8:16; 9:21] 20#1:20 Lit behold.Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
21The people [outside in the court] were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering about his long delay in the temple. 22But when he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23When his time of priestly service was finished, he returned to his home.
24Now after this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she secluded herself completely, saying, 25“This is how the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor on me, to take away my #1:25 At this time childlessness was a social stigma.disgrace among men.” [Gen 30:23; Is 4:1]
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin #1:27 The first stage of marriage (called shiddukin in Hebrew) in Jewish tradition and law, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night; unlike an engagement, it was legally binding and required a divorce to nullify it. The woman remained with her parents during the betrothal year and was referred to as a “wife” even though the marriage was not consummated during this period of time.betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” [Is 9:6, 7; Dan 2:44] 34Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” 35Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. [Ex 40:34; Is 7:14] 36And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” 38Then Mary said, “#1:38 Mary’s response was significantly different from Zacharias’ (v 18). Zacharias would not take Gabriel’s word, and instead wanted some kind of miraculous sign as proof.Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39Now at this time Mary arose and hurried to the hill country, to a city of Judah (Judea), 40and she entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him. 42And she exclaimed loudly, “Blessed [worthy to be praised] are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45And 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.”
The Magnificat
46And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord,
47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48“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!
49“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].
50“And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him. [Ps 103:17]
51“He has done mighty deeds with His [powerful] arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
52“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And exalted those who were humble.
53“He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54“He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55Just as He promised to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his descendants forever.” [Gen 17:7; 18:18; 22:17; 1 Sam 2:1-10; Mic 7:20]
56And Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then returned to her home.
John Is Born
57Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.
59It 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; [Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3] 60but his mother answered, “No indeed; instead he will be called John.” 61And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by that name.” 62Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64At once Zacharias’ mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking, praising and blessing and thanking God. 65Then fear came on all their neighbors; and all these things were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66All 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].
Zacharias’ Prophecy
67Now Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him, and he prophesied, saying,
68“Blessed (praised, glorified) be the Lord, the God of Israel,
Because He has visited us and brought redemption to His people,
69And He has raised up a #1:69 In the OT a symbol of strength.horn of salvation [a mighty and valiant Savior] for us
In the house of David His servant—
70Just as He promised by the mouth of His holy prophets from the most ancient times—
71Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us; [Ps 106:10]
72To show mercy [as He promised] to our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant [the promised blessing],
73The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75In holiness [being set apart] and righteousness [being upright] before Him all our days.
76“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; [Is 40:3; Mal 4:5]
77To give His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
78Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise (the Messiah) from on high will dawn and visit us, [Mal 4:2]
79To 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.” [Is 9:2]
80The 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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