Luke 1
1
Luke Writes to Theophilus
1Many have attempted to write about what had taken place among us. 2They received their information from those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of God’s word from the beginning, and they passed it on to us. 3I, too, have followed everything closely from the beginning. So I thought it would be a good idea to write an orderly account for Your Excellency, Theophilus. 4In this way you will know that what you’ve been told is true.
The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zechariah
5When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division of priests named after Abijah. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. 6Zechariah and Elizabeth had God’s approval. They followed all the Lord’s commands and regulations perfectly. 7Yet, they never had any children because Elizabeth couldn’t become pregnant. Both of them were too old to have children.
8Zechariah was on duty with his division of priests. As he served in God’s presence, 9he was chosen by priestly custom to go into the Lord’s temple to burn incense. 10All the people were praying outside while he was burning incense.
11Then, to the right of the incense altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. 12Zechariah was troubled and overcome with fear.
13The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John. 14He will be your pride and joy, and many people will be glad that he was born. 15As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God. 17He will go ahead of the Lord with the spirit and power that Elijah had. He will change parents’ attitudes toward their children. He will change disobedient people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. In this way he will prepare the people for their Lord.”
18Zechariah said to the angel, “What proof is there for this? I’m an old man, and my wife is beyond her childbearing years.”
19The angel answered him, “I’m Gabriel! I stand in God’s presence. God sent me to tell you this good news. 20But because you didn’t believe what I said, you will be unable to talk until the day this happens. Everything will come true at the right time.”
21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were amazed that he was staying in the temple so long. 22When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. So they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. He motioned to them but remained unable to talk.
23When the days of his service were over, he went home. 24Later, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and didn’t go out in public for five months. She said, 25“The Lord has done this for me now. He has removed my public disgrace.”
The Angel Gabriel Comes to Mary
26Six months after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. 27The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendant of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28When the angel entered her home, he greeted her and said, “You are favored by the Lord! The Lord is with you.”
29She was startled by what the angel said and tried to figure out what this greeting meant.
30The angel told her,
“Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor #1:30 Or “grace.” with God.
31You will become pregnant, give birth to a son,
and name him Jesus.
32He will be a great man
and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his ancestor David.
33Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever,
and his kingdom will never end.”
34Mary asked the angel, “How can this be? I’m a virgin.”
35The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God.
36“Elizabeth, your relative, is six months pregnant with a son in her old age. People said she couldn’t have a child. 37But nothing is impossible for God.”
38Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.”
Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39Soon afterward, Mary hurried to a city in the mountain region of Judah. 40She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
41When Elizabeth heard the greeting, she felt the baby kick. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42She said in a loud voice, “You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child that you will have. 43I feel blessed that the mother of my Lord is visiting me. 44As soon as I heard your greeting, I felt the baby jump for joy. 45You are blessed for believing that the Lord would keep his promise to you.”
Mary Praises God
46Mary said,
“My soul praises the Lord’s greatness!
47My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior,
48because he has looked favorably on me, his humble servant.
“From now on, all people will call me blessed
49because the Almighty has done great things to me.
His name is holy.
50For those who fear him,
his mercy lasts throughout every generation.
51“He displayed his mighty power.
He scattered those who think too highly of themselves.
52He pulled strong rulers from their thrones.
He honored humble people.
53He fed hungry people with good food.
He sent rich people away with nothing.
54“He remembered to help his servant Israel forever.
55This is the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his descendants.”
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
John Is Born
57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her, and they shared her joy.
59When the child was eight days old, they went ⌞to the temple⌟ to circumcise him. They were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother spoke up, “Absolutely not! His name will be John.”
61Their friends said to her, “But you don’t have any relatives with that name.”
62So they motioned to the baby’s father to see what he wanted to name the child. 63Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was amazed.
64Suddenly, Zechariah was able to speak, and he began to praise God.
65All their neighbors were filled with awe. Throughout the mountain region of Judea, people talked about everything that had happened. 66Everyone who heard about it seriously thought it over and asked, “What does the future hold for this child?” It was clear that the Lord was with him.
67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
68“Praise the Lord God of Israel!
He has come to take care of his people
and to set them free.
69He has raised up a mighty Savior for us
in the family of his servant David.
70He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago.
71He promised to save us from our enemies
and from the power of all who hate us.
72He has shown his mercy to our ancestors
and remembered his holy promise,#1:72 Or “covenant.”
73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.
74He promised to rescue us from our enemies’ power
so that we could serve him without fear
75by being holy and honorable as long as we live.
76“You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High.
You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way.
77You will make his people know that they can be saved
through the forgiveness of their sins.
78A new day will dawn on us from above
because our God is loving and merciful.
79He will give light to those who live in the dark
and in death’s shadow.
He will guide us into the way of peace.”
80The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel.
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Luke 1: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Luke 1
1
1Seeing that many did take in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,
2as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, —
3it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,
4that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.
5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elisabeth;
6and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless,
7and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
8And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God,
9according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary of the Lord,
10and all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.
11And there appeared to him a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume,
12and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;
13and the messenger said unto him, ‘Fear not, Zacharias, for thy supplication was heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear a son to thee, and thou shalt call his name John,
14and there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy,
15for he shall be great before the Lord, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and of the Holy Spirit he shall be full, even from his mother's womb;
16and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God,
17and he shall go before Him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers unto children, and disobedient ones to the wisdom of righteous ones, to make ready for the Lord, a people prepared.’
18And Zacharias said unto the messenger, ‘Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?’
19And the messenger answering said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who have been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to proclaim these good news to thee,
20and lo, thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak, till the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou didst not believe my words, that shall be fulfilled in their season.’
21And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,
22and having come out, he was not able to speak to them, and they perceived that a vision he had seen in the sanctuary, and he was beckoning to them, and did remain dumb.
23And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,
24and after those days, his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying —
25‘Thus hath the Lord done to me, in days in which He looked upon [me], to take away my reproach among men.’
26And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which [is] Nazareth,
27to a virgin, betrothed to a man, whose name [is] Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin [is] Mary.
28And the messenger having come in unto her, said, ‘Hail, favoured one, the Lord [is] with thee; blessed [art] thou among women;’
29and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.
30And the messenger said to her, ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;
31and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus;
32he shall be great, and Son of the Highest he shall be called, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father,
33and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.’
34And Mary said unto the messenger, ‘How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?’
35And the messenger answering said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also the holy-begotten thing shall be called Son of God;
36and lo, Elisabeth, thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called barren;
37because nothing shall be impossible with God.’
38And Mary said, ‘Lo, the maid-servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to thy saying,’ and the messenger went away from her.
39And Mary having arisen in those days, went to the hill-country, with haste, to a city of
40and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe did leap in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42and spake out with a loud voice, 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 might come unto me?
44for, lo, when the voice of thy salutation came to my ears, leap in gladness did the babe in my womb;
45and happy [is] she who did believe, for there shall be a completion to the things spoken to her from the Lord.’
46And Mary said, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47And my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,
48Because He looked on the lowliness of His maid-servant, For, lo, henceforth call me happy shall all the generations,
49For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy [is] His name,
50And His kindness [is] to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,
51He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,
52He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,
53The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,
54He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,
55As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed — to the age.’
56And Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.
57And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare a son,
58and the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.
59And it came to pass, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias,
60and his mother answering said, ‘No, but he shall be called John.’
61And they said unto her — ‘There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,’
62and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,
63and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, ‘John is his name;’ and they did all wonder;
64and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.
65And fear came upon all those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,
66and all who heard did lay them up in their hearts, saying, ‘What then shall this child be?’ and the hand of the Lord was with him.
67And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,
68‘Blessed [is] the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,
69And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,
70As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age;
71Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,
72To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,
73An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,
74To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,
75To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.
76And thou, child, Prophet of the Highest Shalt thou be called; For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, To prepare His ways.
77To give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,
78Through the tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon us,
79To give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, To guide our feet to a way of peace.’
80And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit, and he was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
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