Luke 1

¹Since, indeed, many have attempted to set in order a narrative of the things that have been completed among us,

²just as they have been handed on to those of us who from the beginning saw the same and were ministers of the word,

³so it seemed good to me also, having diligently followed everything from the beginning, to write to you, in an orderly manner, most excellent Theophilus,

⁴so that you might know the truthfulness of those words by which you have been instructed.

⁵There 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.

⁶Now they were both just before God, progressing in all of the commandments and the justifications of the Lord without blame.

⁷And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both had become advanced in years.

⁸Then it happened that, when he was exercising the priesthood before God, in the order of his section,

⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, the lot fell so that he would offer incense, entering into the temple of the Lord.

¹⁰And the entire multitude of the people was praying outside, at the hour of incense.

¹¹Then there appeared to him an Angel of the Lord, standing at the right of the altar of incense.

¹²And upon seeing him, Zechariah was disturbed, and fear fell over him.

¹³But 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.

¹⁴And there will be joy and exultation for you, and many will rejoice in his nativity.

¹⁵For 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.

¹⁶And he will convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And 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.”

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the Angel: “How may I know this? For I am elderly, and my wife is advanced in years.”

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰And 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.”

²¹And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they wondered why he was being delayed in the temple.

²²Then, 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.

²³And it happened that, after the days of his office were completed, he went away to his house.

²⁴Then, 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.”

²⁶Then, in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.

²⁸And upon entering, the Angel said to her: “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”

²⁹And when she had heard this, she was disturbed by his words, and she considered what kind of greeting this might be.

³⁰And the Angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God.

³¹Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name: JESUS.

³²He 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.

³³And his kingdom shall have no end.”

³⁴Then Mary said to the Angel, “How shall this be done, since I do not know man?”

³⁵And 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.

³⁶And 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.

³⁷For no word will be impossible with God.”

³⁸Then 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.

³⁹And in those days, Mary, rising up, traveled quickly into the hill country, to a city of Judah.

⁴⁰And she entered into the house of Zechariah, and she greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²And she cried out with a loud voice and said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

⁴³And how does this concern me, so that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

⁴⁴For behold, as the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

⁴⁵And blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished.”

⁴⁶And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord.

⁴⁷And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Savior.

⁴⁸For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹For he who is great has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

⁵⁰And his mercy is from generation to generations for those who fear him.

⁵¹He has accomplished powerful deeds with his arm. He has scattered the arrogant in the intentions of their heart.

⁵²He has deposed the powerful from their seat, and he has exalted the humble.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

⁵⁴He has taken up his servant Israel, mindful of his mercy,

⁵⁵just as he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

⁵⁶Then Mary stayed with her for about three months. And she returned to her own house.

⁵⁷Now the time for Elizabeth to give birth arrived, and she brought forth a son.

⁵⁸And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and so they congratulated her.

⁵⁹And it happened that, on the eighth day, they arrived to circumcise the boy, and they called him by his father’s name, Zechariah.

⁶⁰And in response, his mother said: “Not so. Instead, he shall be called John.”

⁶¹And they said to her, “But there is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

⁶²Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him to be called.

⁶³And requesting a writing tablet, he wrote, saying: “His name is John.” And they all wondered.

⁶⁴Then, at once, his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosened, and he spoke, blessing God.

⁶⁵And fear fell upon all of their neighbors. And all these words were made known throughout all the hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶And 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.

⁶⁷And 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.

⁶⁹And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant,

⁷⁰just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from ages past:

⁷¹salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us,

⁷²to accomplish mercy with our fathers, and to call to mind his holy testament,

⁷³the oath, which he swore to Abraham, our father, that he would grant to us,

⁷⁴so that, having been freed from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,

⁷⁵in holiness and in justice before him, throughout all our days.

⁷⁶And 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,

⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of their sins,

⁷⁸through the heart of the mercy of our God, by which, descending from on high, he has visited us,

⁷⁹to illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace.”

⁸⁰And the child grew, and he was strengthened in spirit. And he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Luke 1

¹Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed 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 had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

⁴That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

⁵There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was 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.

⁸And it came to pass, that 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 burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

¹¹And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer 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 shall drink neither 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 to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

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 am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

²⁰And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

²¹And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long 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: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

²³And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

²⁴And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

²⁵Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

²⁶And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

²⁷To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

²⁹And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should 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 Highest: 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.

³⁴Then said Mary 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 Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

³⁶And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

³⁷For with God nothing shall be impossible.

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 those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

⁴⁰And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

⁴¹And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

⁴²And she 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 should come to me?

⁴⁴For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

⁴⁵And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told 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 regarded 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 on them that fear him from generation to generation.

⁵¹He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵²He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

⁵³He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

⁵⁴He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

⁵⁵As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

⁵⁶And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

⁵⁷Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.

⁵⁸And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they 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, how he would have him called.

⁶³And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

⁶⁴And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

⁶⁵And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And 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 God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

⁶⁹And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

⁷⁰As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

⁷¹That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

⁷²To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

⁷³The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

⁷⁴That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

⁷⁶And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

⁷⁷To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

⁷⁸Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

⁷⁹To give light to them that sit in darkness and in 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.