Luke 1
1
1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed.
5There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense. 11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God. 17And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him. 18And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. 20And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled while he tarried in the temple. 22And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb. 23And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house. 24And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.
26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee. 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God. 36And behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren. 37For no word from God shall be void of power. 38And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; 40and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. 41And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost; 42and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? 44For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. 46And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. 50And his mercy is unto generations and generations On them that fear him. 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. 52He hath put down princes from their thrones, And hath exalted them of low degree. 53The hungry he hath filled with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away. 54He hath holpen Israel his servant, That he might remember mercy 55(As he spake unto our fathers) Toward Abraham and his seed for ever. 56And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house.
57Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58And her neighbours and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her. 59And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called. 63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all. 64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, blessing God. 65And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, 69And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David 70(As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began), 71Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72To shew mercy towards our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant; 73The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, 74To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, 75In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; 77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people In the remission of their sins, 78Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, 79To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace. 80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
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Luke 1: RV1885
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Luke 1
1
The Preface to Luke’s Gospel
1 Since many have attempted to compile an account concerning the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning passed on to us, 3it seemed best to me also—because I#*Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“have followed”) which is understood as causal have followed all things carefully from the beginning—to write them#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty concerning the things about which you were taught.
The Prediction of John the Baptist’s Birth
5It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife#Literally “a wife to him” from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7And they did not have#Literally “there was not to them” a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced in years.#Literally “in their days”
8And it happened that while#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive (“was serving as priest”) he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. 10And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12And Zechariah was terrified when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal saw the angel,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said to him,
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard,
and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you will call his name John.
14And you will experience joy and exultation,#Literally “joy and exultation will be to you”
and many will rejoice at his birth.
15For he will be great in the sight of the Lord,
and he must never drink wine or beer,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit
while he is#*Here the phrase “while he is,” including the verb, is understood in Greek and is supplied in the translation still in his mother’s womb.
16And he will turn many of the sons of Israel
to the Lord their God.
17And he will go on before him
in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous,
to prepare for the Lord a people made ready.”
18And Zechariah said to the angel, “By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years!”#Literally “in her days” 19And the angel answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 20And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because#Literally “in return for which” you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to wonder”) when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive (“was delayed”) he was delayed in the temple. 22And when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came out”) which is understood as temporal came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. 23And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home.
24Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with me,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation to take away my disgrace among people.”
The Prediction of Jesus’ Birth
26Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named#Literally “to which the name” Nazareth, 27to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man named#Literally “to whom the name” Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. 28And he came to her and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son,
and you will call his name Jesus.
32This one will be great, and he 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 forever,#Literally “for the ages”
and of his kingdom there will be no end.
34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35And the angel answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
36And behold, your relative Elizabeth—she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.”#Literally “every thing will not be impossible with God”
38So Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s female slave! May it happen to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39Now in those days Mary set out and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“set out”) has been translated as a finite verb traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, 40and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. 41And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42And she cried out with a loud shout and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! 45And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord!”
Mary’s Hymn of Praise to God
46And Mary said,
“My soul exalts the Lord,
47and my spirit has rejoiced greatly in God my Savior,
48because he has looked upon the humble state of his female slave,
for behold, from now on all generations will consider me blessed,
49because the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50And his mercy is for generation after generation
to those who fear him.
51He has done a mighty deed with his arm;
he has dispersed the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
53He has filled those who are hungry with good things,
and those who are rich he has sent away empty-handed.
54He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
55just as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”#Literally “for the age”
56And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her,#Literally “the Lord had made great his mercy with her” and they rejoiced with her. 59And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him after#Literally “in the name of” his father Zechariah. 60And his mother answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said, “No, but he will be named John.” 61And they said to her, “There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name.” 62So they made signs to his father asking what he wanted him to be named, 63and he asked for a writing tablet and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“asked for”) has been translated as a finite verb wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they were all astonished. 64And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to speak”) praising God. 65And fear came on all those who lived near them, and in all the hill country of Judea all these events were discussed. 66And all those who heard kept these things#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him!”
The Praise and Prophecy of Zechariah
67And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited to help and has redeemed#Literally “has done redemption for” his people,
69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times—
71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us,
72to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath that he swore to Abraham our father,
to grant us 74that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
could serve him without fear 75in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76And so you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the merciful compassion#Or “heart” of our God
by which the dawn will visit to help us from on high,
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to direct our feet into the way of peace.”
80And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
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