Luke 1
1
Dedication to Theophilus
1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that #2 Tim. 4:5, 17 (Gk.); [Acts 3:18]have been accomplished among us, 2#[Heb. 2:3] just as those who #John 15:27; 16:4; [Mark 1:1; Acts 11:15] from the beginning were #2 Pet. 1:16; 1 John 1:1, 3; [Acts 4:20; 1 Pet. 5:1] eyewitnesses and #Acts 26:16; 1 Cor. 4:1 ministers of #See Mark 4:14 the word #1 Cor. 11:2, 23have delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write #Acts 11:4 an orderly account for you, #Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25 most excellent #Acts 1:1Theophilus, 4that you may have #Acts 2:36 (Gk.); [2 Pet. 1:16, 19] certainty concerning the things #Acts 18:25; Rom. 2:18; 1 Cor. 14:19; Gal. 6:6 (Gk.)you have been taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 #
Matt. 2:1 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,#1:5 Greek Zacharias #1 Chr. 24:10 of #ver. 8the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both #ch. 2:25 righteous before God, walking #Phil. 2:15; 3:6; 1 Thess. 2:10; 3:13; 5:23; [Acts 23:1; 24:16]blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7But they had no child, because #ver. 36; [Judg. 13:2; 1 Sam. 1:2] Elizabeth was barren, and #[Gen. 18:11; Heb. 11:11, 12]both were advanced in years.
8Now #1 Chr. 24:19; 2 Chr. 8:14; 31:2; [ver. 23] while he was serving as priest before God when #ver. 5his division was on duty, 9according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot #Ex. 30:7, 8; 1 Sam. 2:28; 1 Chr. 23:13; 2 Chr. 29:11 to enter #ver. 21, 22; Rev. 11:2, 19; [Heb. 9:2, 3]the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of the people #Ps. 141:2; [Rev. 5:8; 8:3, 4] were praying #[Lev. 16:17]outside at the hour of incense. 11And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of #Ex. 30:1-10; 40:26, 27the altar of incense. 12And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and #Acts 19:17fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for #[Acts 10:4, 31] your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and #ver. 60, 63you shall call his name John. 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will #[ver. 58]rejoice at his birth, 15for he will be #ch. 7:28; Matt. 11:11 great before the Lord. And #ch. 7:33; Num. 6:3; Judg. 13:4, 7, 14; Matt. 11:18 he must not drink wine or strong #[Acts 2:15, 17; Eph. 5:18] drink, and #[Acts 2:15, 17; Eph. 5:18] he will be #ver. 41, 67; See Acts 2:4 filled with the Holy Spirit, #Isa. 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1:15even from his mother’s womb. 16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17and #ver. 76; John 3:28 he will go before him #See Matt. 11:14 in the spirit and power of Elijah, #Cited from Mal. 4:6 to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and #Rom. 10:21 the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, #ch. 7:27; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18And Zechariah said to the angel, #Gen. 15:8; [Gen. 17:17]“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19And the angel answered him, “I am #ver. 26; Dan. 8:16; 9:21 Gabriel. #Rev. 8:2; [1 Kgs. 17:1; Job 1:6; Isa. 63:9; Matt. 18:10]I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20And behold, #[Ezek. 3:26; 24:27]you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in #See ver. 9the temple. 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in #[See ver. 21 above] the temple. And #ver. 62he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23And #2 Chr. 23:8; [ver. 8; 2 Kgs. 11:5; 1 Chr. 9:25] when his time of #Heb. 10:11service was ended, he went to his home.
24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, #[Gen. 30:23; 1 Sam. 1:6; Ps. 113:9; Isa. 4:1]to take away my reproach among people.”
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month the angel #ver. 19 Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named #See Matt. 2:23Nazareth, 27#Matt. 1:16, 18 to a virgin betrothed#1:27 That is, legally pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, #ch. 2:4; Matt. 1:20of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, #[Ps. 45:2; Dan. 9:23] O favored one, #Judg. 6:12the Lord is with you!”#1:28 Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women! 29But #See ver. 12she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for #Acts 7:46you have found favor with God. 31And behold, #Isa. 7:14 you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and #ch. 2:21; Matt. 1:21, 25you shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of #ver. 76; ch. 6:35; Acts 7:48; See Mark 5:7 the Most High. And the Lord God #ver. 69; 2 Sam. 7:11-13, 16; Ps. 89:4; 132:11; Isa. 9:6, 7; 16:5; Acts 2:30; [Rev. 3:7] will give to him the throne of #See Matt. 1:1his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob #Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 18, 27; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 11:15; [John 12:34]forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”#1:34 Greek since I do not know a man
35And the angel answered her, #Matt. 1:18, 20 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of #[See ver. 32 above] the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born#1:35 Some manuscripts add of you will be called #John 6:69 holy—#See Matt. 14:33the Son of God. 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her #ver. 7who was called barren. 37For #Cited from Gen. 18:14 (Gk.); See Matt. 19:26nothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant#1:38 Greek bondservant; also verse 48 of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And #[Judg. 6:21; Acts 12:10]the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into #ver. 65; Josh. 20:7; 21:11the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth #ver. 15, 67was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, #[Judg. 5:24] “Blessed are you among women, and #[Deut. 28:4] blessed is #Ps. 127:3the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of #ch. 20:42; John 20:28; [ch. 2:11]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 #John 20:29; [ver. 20]blessed is she who believed that there would be#1:45 Or believed, for there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46And Mary said,
# For ver. 46-53, [1 Sam. 2:1-10] “My #1 Thess. 5:23 soul #Ps. 34:2, 3; 69:30; Acts 10:46; 19:17magnifies the Lord,
47 #
Ps. 35:9; Isa. 61:10; Hab. 3:18; [Acts 16:34] and my #[See ver. 46 above] spirit rejoices in #Ps. 106:21; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; Jude 25; [2 Tim. 1:9]God my Savior,
48for #1 Sam. 1:11; Ps. 138:6; [ch. 9:38] he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations #ch. 11:27; Ps. 72:17; [Mal. 3:12]will call me blessed;
49for #Ps. 89:8; Zeph. 3:17 he who is mighty #Ps. 71:19; 126:2, 3 has done great things for me,
and #Ps. 99:3; 111:9; Isa. 57:15holy is his name.
50And #Deut. 5:10; 7:9; Ps. 89:1, 2; 103:17his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 #
Ps. 89:10; 98:1; 118:16; Isa. 51:9 He has shown strength with his arm;
#
Dan. 4:37; See James 4:6 he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 # [See ver. 51 above] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
#
Job 5:11; Ps. 75:7; 107:40, 41; 113:7, 8; 147:6; Ezek. 21:26; [James 4:10] and exalted those of humble estate;
53he has filled #Ps. 34:10; 107:9; [ch. 6:21, 24, 25] the hungry with good things,
and the rich #Job 22:9he has sent away empty.
54He has #Isa. 41:8, 9; Heb. 2:16 helped #Isa. 44:21; 49:3 his servant Israel,
#
Ps. 98:3; Mic. 7:20; [ver. 72, 73] in remembrance of his mercy,
55 #
Gen. 17:19; Ps. 132:11; Gal. 3:16 as he spoke to our fathers,
# [See ver. 54 above] to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord #Gen. 19:19had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59And #ch. 2:21; Gen. 17:12; Lev. 12:3; Phil. 3:5on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother answered, “No; #ver. 13he shall be called John.” 61And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62And #ver. 22they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63And he asked for #Isa. 8:1; 30:8 a writing tablet and wrote, #[See ver. 60 above]“His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64#ver. 20 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue #Mark 7:35 loosed, and he spoke, #ch. 2:28; 24:53blessing God. 65And #ch. 7:16 fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all #See ver. 39the hill country of Judea, 66and all who heard them #[ch. 2:19, 51] laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For #Acts 11:21; 13:11the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67And his father Zechariah #ver. 15, 41 was filled with the Holy Spirit and #Joel 2:28prophesied, saying,
68 #
1 Kgs. 1:48; 1 Chr. 29:10; Ezra 7:27; Ps. 41:13; 72:18; 106:48 “Blessed be the Lord #Isa. 29:23; Matt. 15:31; Acts 13:17 God of Israel,
for he has #ch. 7:16; Ex. 4:31; [ver. 78; Acts 15:14; Heb. 2:6] visited and #ch. 2:38; Ps. 111:9; 130:7, 8; [ch. 24:21; Isa. 43:1; 59:20]redeemed his people
69and #1 Sam. 2:1, 10; Ps. 132:17; Ezek. 29:21 has raised up #2 Sam. 22:3; Ps. 18:2 a horn of salvation for us
# ver. 32 in the house of his servant David,
70 #
Rom. 1:2; [Jer. 23:5, 6] as #Acts 3:21he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 #
Ps. 106:10
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 #
Mic. 7:20 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and #Lev. 26:42; Ps. 105:8, 9; [ver. 54, 55] to remember his holy #See Rom. 9:4covenant,
73 #
Gen. 22:16-18; 26:3; Heb. 6:13, 14 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him #Zeph. 3:15without fear,
75 #
Eph. 4:24; [1 Thess. 2:10; Titus 2:12] in holiness and righteousness before him #[Jer. 32:39 (Heb.); Matt. 28:20 (Gk.)]all our days.
76And you, child, will be called #ch. 7:26; 20:6; Matt. 11:9; 14:5 the prophet of #See ver. 32 the Most High;
for #ver. 17; ch. 3:4; 7:27; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:2, 3you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people
# [Matt. 26:28; Mark 1:4] in the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the #Col. 3:12 (Gk.) tender mercy of our God,
whereby #Mal. 4:2; Eph. 5:14; 2 Pet. 1:19 the sunrise shall #See ver. 68 visit us#1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us #ch. 24:49from on high
79to #Isa. 9:2; Matt. 4:16; [Acts 26:18]; See John 8:12 give light to #Ps. 107:10; Isa. 42:7 those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into #Rom. 3:17 the way of #See ch. 2:14peace.”
80 # ch. 2:40 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was #Matt. 3:1; 11:7in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Currently Selected:
Luke 1: ESV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV:
Luke 1
1
1As you know, many others have attempted to put down in writing the things that have been fulfilled#1:1. Or “achieved,” “accomplished.” that involve us. 2They based their accounts on evidence from the earliest eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, 3and so I also decided that since I have followed these things very carefully from the beginning, it would be a good idea to write out an accurate account of all that happened. 4I have done this Theophilus,#1:4. “Theophilus” means “one who loves God.” Also in Acts 1:1. Your Excellency, so you can be certain that what you were taught is completely reliable.
5During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest called Zechariah, who came from the Abijah priestly division. He was married to Elizabeth, who was also descended from Aaron the priest. 6They both did what was right before God, being careful to follow all the Lord's commandments and regulations.
7They had no children because Elizabeth wasn't able to have any, and they were both growing old. 8While Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, on behalf of his priestly division, 9he was chosen by lot#1:9. A system of random choice like “choosing straws” was used because more wanted to serve than there were places available. according to priestly custom to enter the Temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10During the time of offering incense a large crowd of people were praying outside. 11An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became terrified.
13But the angel told him, “Don't be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call him John. 14He will bring you joy and gladness, and many will celebrate his birth. 15He will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will refuse to drink wine or other alcoholic drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he's born. 16He will turn many Israelites back to the Lord their God. 17He will go ahead of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the fathers back to thinking about their children, and to turn those who are rebellious back to a right understanding—to prepare a people ready for the Lord.”#1:17. Quoting Malachi 4:5-6.
18“How can I be sure about this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I'm an old man, and my wife is getting old too.”
19“I am Gabriel,” the angel replied. “I stand in God's presence, and I was sent to speak to you and give you this good news. 20But since you didn't believe what I told you, you'll become dumb, unable to speak, until the appointed time when my words come true.”
21Outside the people were waiting for Zechariah, wondering why he was taking so long in the Temple. 22When eventually he came out, he couldn't speak to them. They realized he'd seen a vision in the Temple, for though he could make gestures, he was completely unable to speak.
23After he'd finished his time of service, he went back home. 24Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She stayed at home for five months.
25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said, “now that he's taken away my disgrace in the eyes of others.”
26In the sixth month of her pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young girl called Mary who lived in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. 27She was engaged to a man named Joseph.
28The angel greeted her.#1:28. In fact the angel uses the common form of greeting of the time that literally meant “Rejoice” but was actually equivalent to saying “Hello.” Even modern translations have trouble here, with the angel saying “Hail, favored woman” or “Greetings, O favored one,” neither of which seem particularly suitable. On the other hand an angel arriving and saying “Hi” hardly fits either… “You are very privileged,” he told her. “The Lord is with you.” 29Mary was very puzzled at what he said, and wondered what this greeting meant.
30“Don't worry, Mary,” the angel went on, “for God has shown his graciousness to you. 31You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You shall call him Jesus. 32He will be very great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never come to an end.”
34“How is this possible?” Mary asked. “I'm still a virgin.”
35He replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby who is to be born is holy, and will be called the Son of God. 36And Elizabeth, your relative, even she is pregnant in her old age. The woman that people said couldn't have children is already six months pregnant. 37Nothing is impossible for God.”
38“Here I am, ready to be the Lord's servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me just as you said.” Then the angel left her.
39A little while later, Mary got herself ready and hurried up into the hills of Judea, to the town where 40Zechariah's house was. She called out to Elizabeth as she went in. 41As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's voice, the baby jumped for joy inside her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and cried out in a loud voice:
“How blessed you are among women, and how blessed will be the child born to you! 43Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44As soon as I heard you call out in greeting, my baby jumped for joy inside me. 45How fortunate you are, because you are convinced that the Lord will do what he has promised you!”
46Mary replied, “How I praise the Lord! 47I am so happy with God my Savior, 48because he decided that I, his servant, was worthy of his consideration, despite my humble background. From now on every generation will say I was blessed. 49God Almighty has done great things for me; his name is holy. 50His mercy lasts for generation after generation to those who respect him.#1:50. Literally, “fear,” but in modern use this can have the idea of abject terror. 51With his power#1:51. Literally, “strong arm.” he has broken to pieces those who arrogantly think they're so clever. 52He tears the powerful down from their thrones, and elevates those who are humble. 53He fills the hungry with good things to eat, and he sends the rich away empty-handed. 54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering him in mercy, 55just as he promised our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants for ever.” 56Mary stayed with her for three months and then returned home.
57The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby and she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had showed her great kindness, and they celebrated together with her. 59Eight days later they came to circumcise the boy. They planned to call him Zechariah after his father.
60“No,” Elizabeth said. “He shall be called John.”
61“But there's nobody among your relatives who has this name,” they told her. 62Through gestures they asked Zechariah, the boy's father, what he wanted to call his son. 63Zechariah motioned for something to write on. To everyone's surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64Immediately he could speak again, and he started praising God.
65All those living nearby were in awe at what had happened, and the news spread throughout the hill country of Judea. 66Everyone who heard the news wondered what it meant. “What will the little boy grow up to be?” they asked, for it was clear he was very special to God.#1:66. Literally, “for the hand of the Lord was with him.”
67Zechariah, his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke this prophecy:
68“The Lord, the God of Israel, he is wonderful, for he has come to his people and set them free. 69He has given us a great Savior from the line of his servant David, 70as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. 71He promised to save us from our enemies, from those who hate us. 72He was merciful to our fathers, remembering his holy agreement— 73the promise that he made to our father Abraham. 74He gives us freedom from fear and rescues us from our enemies, 75so we can serve him by doing what is good and right for our whole lives. 76Even though you are only a small child, you will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way, 77providing knowledge of salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins. 78Through God's caring kindness to us, heaven's dawn will break upon us 79to shine on those who live in darkness and under the shadow of death, and to guide us along the path of peace.”
80The boy John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the time came for his public ministry to Israel.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com