Luke 1

¹Forasmuch as many haue taken in hand to set foorth the storie of those things, whereof we are fully persuaded,

²As they haue deliuered them vnto vs, which from the beginning saw them their selues, and were ministers of ye word,

³It seemed good also to me (most noble Theophilus) assoone as I had searched out perfectly all things from the beginning, to write vnto thee thereof from point to point,

⁴That thou mightest acknowledge the certaintie of those things, whereof thou hast bene instructed.

⁵In the time of Herod King of Iudea, there was a certaine Priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabet.

⁶Both were iust before God, and walked in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord, without reproofe.

⁷And they had no childe, because that Elisabet was barren: and both were well stricken in age.

⁸And it came to passe, as he executed the Priestes office before God, as his course came in order,

⁹According to the custome of the Priests office, his lot was to burne incense, when he went into the Temple of the Lord.

¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were without in prayer, while the incense was burning.

¹¹Then appeared vnto him an Angel of the Lord standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²And when Zacharias sawe him, he was troubled, and feare fell vpon him.

¹³But the Angel saide vnto him, Feare not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard, and thy wise Elisabet shall beare thee a sonne, and thou shalt call his name Iohn.

¹⁴And thou shalt haue ioy and gladnes, and many shall reioyce at his birth.

¹⁵For he shalbe great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drinke wine, nor strong drinke: and he shalbe filled with the holy Ghost, euen from his mothers wombe.

¹⁶And many of the children of Israel shall he turne to their Lord God.

¹⁷For he shall goe before him in the spirite and power of Elias, to turne the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisedome of the iust men, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

¹⁸Then Zacharias said vnto ye Angel, Whereby shall I knowe this? for I am an olde man, and my wife is of a great age.

¹⁹And the Angell answered, and sayde vnto him, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speake vnto thee, and to shew thee these good tidings.

²⁰And beholde, thou shalt be domme, and not be able to speake, vntill the day that these things be done, because thou beleeuedst not my words, which shalbe fulfilled in their season.

²¹Now the people waited for Zacharias, and marueiled that he taried so long in the Temple.

²²And when hee came out, hee coulde not speake vnto them: then they perceiued that hee had seene a vision in the Temple: For he made signes vnto them, and remained domme.

²³And it came to passe, when the daies of his office were fulfilled, that he departed to his owne house.

²⁴And after those daies, his wife Elisabet conceiued, and hid her selfe fiue moneths, saying,

²⁵Thus hath the Lord dealt with me, in the daies wherein he looked on me, to take from me my rebuke among men.

²⁶And in the sixth moneth, the Angell Gabriel was sent from God vnto a citie of Galile, named Nazareth,

²⁷To a virgin affianced to a man whose name was Ioseph, of the house of Dauid, and the virgins name was Marie.

²⁸And the Angel went in vnto her, and said, Haile thou that art freely beloued: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

²⁹And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and thought what maner of salutation that should be.

³⁰Then the Angel saide vnto her, Feare not, Marie: for thou hast found fauour with God.

³¹For loe, thou shalt conceiue in thy wobe, and beare a sonne, and shalt call his name Iesus.

³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Sonne of the most High, and the Lord God shall giue vnto him the throne of his father Dauid.

³³And hee shall reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer, and of his kingdome shall bee none ende.

³⁴Then sayde Marie vnto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I knowe not man?

³⁵And the Angel answered, and said vnto her, The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee, and the power of the most High shall ouershadowe thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall bee borne of thee, shall be called the Sonne of God.

³⁶And behold, thy cousin Elisabet, she hath also conceiued a sonne in her olde age: and this is her sixt moneth, which was called barren.

³⁷For with God shall nothing be vnpossible.

³⁸Then Marie said, Behold the seruant of the Lord: be it vnto me according to thy woorde. So the Angel departed from her.

³⁹And Marie arose in those daies, and went into ye hil countrey with hast to a citie of Iuda,

⁴⁰And entred into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabet.

⁴¹And it came to passe, as Elisabet heard the salutation of Marie, the babe sprang in her bellie, and Elisabet was filled with the holy Ghost.

⁴²And she cried with a loud voice, and saide, Blessed art thou among women, because the fruit of thy wombe is blessed.

⁴³And whence commeth this to mee, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For loe, assoone as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine eares, the babe sprang in my bellie for ioye,

⁴⁵And blessed is shee that beleeued: for those things shall be perfourmed, which were tolde her from the Lord.

⁴⁶Then Marie sayde, My soule magnifieth the Lord,

⁴⁷And my spirite reioyceth in God my Sauiour.

⁴⁸For hee hath looked on the poore degree of his seruaunt: for beholde, from henceforth shall all ages call me blessed,

⁴⁹Because hee that is mightie, hath done for me great things, and holy is his Name.

⁵⁰And his mercie is from generation to generation on them that feare him.

⁵¹Hee hath shewed strength with his arme: hee hath scattered the proude in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵²Hee hath put downe the mighty from their seates, and exalted them of lowe degree.

⁵³Hee hath filled the hungrie with good things, and sent away the rich emptie.

⁵⁴Hee hath vpholden Israel his seruaunt to be mindefull of his mercie

⁵⁵(As hee hath spoken to our fathers, to wit, to Abraham, and his seede) for euer.

⁵⁶And Marie abode with her about three moneths: after, shee returned to her owne house.

⁵⁷Nowe Elisabets time was fulfilled, that shee should be deliuered, and shee brought foorth a sonne.

⁵⁸And her neighbours, and cousins heard tell howe the Lord had shewed his great mercie vpon her, and they reioyced with her.

⁵⁹And it was so that on the eight day they came to circumcise the babe, and called him Zacharias after the name of his father.

⁶⁰But his mother answered, and saide, Not so, but he shalbe called Iohn.

⁶¹And they saide vnto her, There is none of thy kindred, that is named with this name.

⁶²Then they made signes to his father, howe he would haue him called.

⁶³So hee asked for writing tables, and wrote, saying, His name is Iohn, and they marueiled all.

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

⁶⁵Then feare came on all them that dwelt neere vnto them, and all these woordes were noised abroade throughout all the hill countrey of Iudea.

⁶⁶And al they that heard them, laid them vp in their hearts, saying, What maner childe shall this be! and the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷Then his father Zacharias was filled with the holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he hath visited and redeemed his people,

⁶⁹And hath raised vp the horne of saluation vnto vs, in the house of his seruant Dauid,

⁷⁰As he spake by ye mouth of his holy Prophets, which were since the world began, saying,

⁷¹That he would sende vs deliuerance from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate vs,

⁷²That he might shewe mercie towards our fathers, and remember his holy couenant,

⁷³And the othe which he sware to our father Abraham.

⁷⁴Which was, that he would graunt vnto vs, that we being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies, should serue him without feare,

⁷⁵All the daies of our life, in holinesse and righteousnesse before him.

⁷⁶And thou, babe, shalt be called the Prophet of the most High: for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord, to prepare his waies,

⁷⁷And to giue knowledge of saluation vnto his people, by the remission of their sinnes,

⁷⁸Through ye tender mercy of our God, wherby the day spring from an hie hath visited vs,

⁷⁹To giue light to them that sit in darknes, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feete into the way of peace.

⁸⁰And the childe grewe, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the wildernesse, til the day came that he should shewe him selfe vnto 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.