Luke 1
1
Luke Writes an Orderly Report
1Just as many others have already written about the things that have taken place among us, 2based on reports passed down from eyewitnesses, I also have looked into everything very carefully myself, going right back to the beginning. 3I’ve decided to write down an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4because I want you to know that what you’ve been taught is true.
The Coming Birth of John the Baptist
5During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to the group of priests named after Abijah. His wife was named Elizabeth, and she also came from the line of priests descended from Aaron. 6Both of them did what was right in God’s sight; they obeyed all of the Lord’s commands and instructions faithfully. 7But they didn’t have children, because Elizabeth was infertile, and by that point they were both very old.
8One day Zechariah’s group was on duty, and he was serving as a priest in God’s temple. 9He had been chosen by lot (which was how the priests were assigned duties) to go into the temple of the Lord, where he was supposed to burn incense. 10When the time came for him to do this, all the people who had gathered to worship were praying outside.
11Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. The angel came and stood at the right side of the incense altar. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was amazed and terrified. 13But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard—your wife Elizabeth is going to have a baby boy! You must name him John. 14He will be a joy and a delight to you, and his birth will also make many other people glad, 15because he will become such a great man in Lord’s sight. He must never drink wine or other alcohol. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is even born. 16He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. Having the same spirit and power as Elijah, he will go ahead of the Lord, creating peace between parents and their children and teaching people who are disobeying to be wise and do what is right. 17In this way, he will make sure that the people are ready for the Lord.”
18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? I’m an old man, and my wife is old too.”
19The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel! I’m the angel who stands right next to God! I’ve been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20But now you won’t be able to speak; you’ll have to be silent until after John is born, because you didn’t believe my words. They will come true at the time God has chosen.”
21While all this was happening, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the temple. They were wondering why he was staying in there for so long. 22When he did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. But eventually they understood that he’d seen a vision in the temple because he explained this to them in gestures, even though he didn’t get his voice back.
23When his time of service was over, he returned home. 24After that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, but she stayed out of sight for five months. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days, he has been good to me and taken away my shame among the people.”
The Coming Birth of Jesus
26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. 27He was sent to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, who came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
29Mary was troubled by these words; she wondered why the angel had greeted her that way. 30But he said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God has chosen to do something wonderful through you. 31You’re going to become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. 32He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his ancestor David, 33and he will rule over his people, the descendants of Jacob, forever—his kingdom will never end.”
34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I’m a virgin?”
35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you, so that the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God. 36Your relative Elizabeth is about to have a child even though she is old. People thought she couldn’t have children, but she has been pregnant now for six months. 37What God says always comes true.”
38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39Right away Mary packed up and hurried to the town in Judea’s hill country where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. 40When she got to their house, she went inside and greeted Elizabeth. 41As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby jumped inside her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and called out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the child in your womb! 43But why has God shown me so much favor that the mother of my Lord has come to see me? 44As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. 45Blessed are you, because you believed the Lord would keep his promises to you!”
Mary’s Song
46Mary said,
“My soul cries out that the Lord is great,
47and my spirit delights in God my Savior.
48He has taken note of me,
even though I am only his humble servant.
From now on all people will call me blessed,
49because the Mighty One has done great things for me—
his name is holy.
50He shows mercy to all those who respect him,
from parent to child down through the generations.
51He has done mighty things with his powerful arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but he has lifted up people who weren’t considered important.
53He has filled with good things those who were hungry,
but he has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant, the people of Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55as he promised our fathers,
to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then she returned home.
John the Baptist Is Born
57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard how good the Lord had been to her and they shared her joy.
59On the eighth day, they came to have the child circumcised. They were going to name him Zechariah, like his father, 60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He has to be called John.”
61“None of your relatives has that name,” they protested.
62Then they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child. 63He asked for something to write on, and everyone was amazed when he wrote, “His name is John.” 64All of a sudden Zechariah could speak again, and right away he started praising God. 65All of his neighbors were filled with fear and wonder. Throughout Judea’s hill country, people began talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard what had happened wondered about it. Because the Lord was with John, they asked, “What is this child going to become?”
Zechariah’s Song
67John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied,
68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He has visited his people and paid to set them free.
69He has acted with great power and saved us
through the family line of his servant David,
70as the holy prophets long ago said he would.
71He has saved us from our enemies
and rescued us from all who hate us.
72He has been merciful to our ancestors
and remembered his holy covenant,
73the promise he made to our father Abraham.
74He promised he would save us from our enemies,
so we could serve him without fear
75in holiness and justice, in his presence, as long as we live.
76“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God,
because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.
78All this will happen because our God is tender and merciful;
his kindness will make the sun rise for us in the sky.
79It will shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and it will guide our feet onto the path of peace.”
80The child grew up and his spirit became strong. He stayed in the desert until it was time for him to appear publicly to Israel.
Radiate™ New Testament
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014, 2020 by Biblica, Inc.
Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Luke 1
1
Luke Writes an Orderly Report
1Just as many others have already written about the things that have taken place among us, 2based on reports passed down from eyewitnesses, I also have looked into everything very carefully myself, going right back to the beginning. 3I’ve decided to write down an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4because I want you to know that what you’ve been taught is true.
The Coming Birth of John the Baptist
5During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to the group of priests named after Abijah. His wife was named Elizabeth, and she also came from the line of priests descended from Aaron. 6Both of them did what was right in God’s sight; they obeyed all of the Lord’s commands and instructions faithfully. 7But they didn’t have children, because Elizabeth was infertile, and by that point they were both very old.
8One day Zechariah’s group was on duty, and he was serving as a priest in God’s temple. 9He had been chosen by lot (which was how the priests were assigned duties) to go into the temple of the Lord, where he was supposed to burn incense. 10When the time came for him to do this, all the people who had gathered to worship were praying outside.
11Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. The angel came and stood at the right side of the incense altar. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was amazed and terrified. 13But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard—your wife Elizabeth is going to have a baby boy! You must name him John. 14He will be a joy and a delight to you, and his birth will also make many other people glad, 15because he will become such a great man in Lord’s sight. He must never drink wine or other alcohol. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is even born. 16He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. Having the same spirit and power as Elijah, he will go ahead of the Lord, creating peace between parents and their children and teaching people who are disobeying to be wise and do what is right. 17In this way, he will make sure that the people are ready for the Lord.”
18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? I’m an old man, and my wife is old too.”
19The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel! I’m the angel who stands right next to God! I’ve been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20But now you won’t be able to speak; you’ll have to be silent until after John is born, because you didn’t believe my words. They will come true at the time God has chosen.”
21While all this was happening, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the temple. They were wondering why he was staying in there for so long. 22When he did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. But eventually they understood that he’d seen a vision in the temple because he explained this to them in gestures, even though he didn’t get his voice back.
23When his time of service was over, he returned home. 24After that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, but she stayed out of sight for five months. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days, he has been good to me and taken away my shame among the people.”
The Coming Birth of Jesus
26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. 27He was sent to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, who came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
29Mary was troubled by these words; she wondered why the angel had greeted her that way. 30But he said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God has chosen to do something wonderful through you. 31You’re going to become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. 32He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his ancestor David, 33and he will rule over his people, the descendants of Jacob, forever—his kingdom will never end.”
34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I’m a virgin?”
35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you, so that the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God. 36Your relative Elizabeth is about to have a child even though she is old. People thought she couldn’t have children, but she has been pregnant now for six months. 37What God says always comes true.”
38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39Right away Mary packed up and hurried to the town in Judea’s hill country where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. 40When she got to their house, she went inside and greeted Elizabeth. 41As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby jumped inside her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and called out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the child in your womb! 43But why has God shown me so much favor that the mother of my Lord has come to see me? 44As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. 45Blessed are you, because you believed the Lord would keep his promises to you!”
Mary’s Song
46Mary said,
“My soul cries out that the Lord is great,
47and my spirit delights in God my Savior.
48He has taken note of me,
even though I am only his humble servant.
From now on all people will call me blessed,
49because the Mighty One has done great things for me—
his name is holy.
50He shows mercy to all those who respect him,
from parent to child down through the generations.
51He has done mighty things with his powerful arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but he has lifted up people who weren’t considered important.
53He has filled with good things those who were hungry,
but he has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant, the people of Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55as he promised our fathers,
to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then she returned home.
John the Baptist Is Born
57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard how good the Lord had been to her and they shared her joy.
59On the eighth day, they came to have the child circumcised. They were going to name him Zechariah, like his father, 60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He has to be called John.”
61“None of your relatives has that name,” they protested.
62Then they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child. 63He asked for something to write on, and everyone was amazed when he wrote, “His name is John.” 64All of a sudden Zechariah could speak again, and right away he started praising God. 65All of his neighbors were filled with fear and wonder. Throughout Judea’s hill country, people began talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard what had happened wondered about it. Because the Lord was with John, they asked, “What is this child going to become?”
Zechariah’s Song
67John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied,
68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He has visited his people and paid to set them free.
69He has acted with great power and saved us
through the family line of his servant David,
70as the holy prophets long ago said he would.
71He has saved us from our enemies
and rescued us from all who hate us.
72He has been merciful to our ancestors
and remembered his holy covenant,
73the promise he made to our father Abraham.
74He promised he would save us from our enemies,
so we could serve him without fear
75in holiness and justice, in his presence, as long as we live.
76“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God,
because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.
78All this will happen because our God is tender and merciful;
his kindness will make the sun rise for us in the sky.
79It will shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and it will guide our feet onto the path of peace.”
80The child grew up and his spirit became strong. He stayed in the desert until it was time for him to appear publicly to Israel.
Radiate™ New Testament
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014, 2020 by Biblica, Inc.
Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.