^{1 Ref} Seeing that many did take in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,

^{2 Ref} as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, --

^{3 Ref} it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,

^{4 Ref} that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.

^{5 Ref} There 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;

^{6 Ref} and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless,

^{7 Ref} and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.

^{8 Ref} And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God,

^{9 Ref} according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary of the Lord,

^{10 Ref} and all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.

^{11 Ref} And there appeared to him a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume,

^{12 Ref} and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;

^{13 Ref} and 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,

^{14 Ref} and there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy,

^{15 Ref} for 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;

^{16 Ref} and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God,

^{17 Ref} and 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.'

^{18 Ref} And Zacharias said unto the messenger, `Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?'

^{19 Ref} And 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,

^{20 Ref} and 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.'

^{21 Ref} And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,

^{22 Ref} and 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.

^{23 Ref} And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,

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

^{25 Ref} `Thus hath the Lord done to me, in days in which He looked upon `me', to take away my reproach among men.'

^{26 Ref} And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which `is' Nazareth,

^{27 Ref} to a virgin, betrothed to a man, whose name `is' Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin `is' Mary.

^{28 Ref} And the messenger having come in unto her, said, `Hail, favoured one, the Lord `is' with thee; blessed `art' thou among women;'

^{29 Ref} and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.

^{30 Ref} And the messenger said to her, `Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;

^{31 Ref} and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus;

^{32 Ref} he 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,

^{33 Ref} and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.'

^{34 Ref} And Mary said unto the messenger, `How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?'

^{35 Ref} And 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;

³⁶ and 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;

^{37 Ref} because nothing shall be impossible with God.'

^{38 Ref} And 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.

^{39 Ref} And Mary having arisen in those days, went to the hill-country, with haste, to a city of Judea,

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

^{41 Ref} And 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,

^{42 Ref} and spake out with a loud voice, and said, `Blessed `art' thou among women, and blessed `is' the fruit of thy womb;

^{43 Ref} and whence `is' this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come unto me?

⁴⁴ for, lo, when the voice of thy salutation came to my ears, leap in gladness did the babe in my womb;

^{45 Ref} and happy `is' she who did believe, for there shall be a completion to the things spoken to her from the Lord.'

^{46 Ref} And Mary said, `My soul doth magnify the Lord,

^{47 Ref} And my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,

^{48 Ref} Because He looked on the lowliness of His maid-servant, For, lo, henceforth call me happy shall all the generations,

^{49 Ref} For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy `is' His name,

^{50 Ref} And His kindness `is' to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,

^{51 Ref} He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,

^{52 Ref} He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,

^{53 Ref} The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,

^{54 Ref} He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,

^{55 Ref} As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed -- to the age.'

⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.

^{57 Ref} And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare a son,

^{58 Ref} and the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.

^{59 Ref} And 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,

^{60 Ref} and his mother answering said, `No, but he shall be called John.'

⁶¹ And they said unto her -- `There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,'

^{62 Ref} and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,

^{63 Ref} and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, `John is his name;' and they did all wonder;

^{64 Ref} and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.

^{65 Ref} And fear came upon all those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,

^{66 Ref} and 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.

^{67 Ref} And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,

^{68 Ref} `Blessed `is' the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,

^{69 Ref} And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,

^{70 Ref} As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age;

^{71 Ref} Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,

^{72 Ref} To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,

^{73 Ref} An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,

^{74 Ref} To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,

^{75 Ref} To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.

^{76 Ref} And thou, child, Prophet of the Highest Shalt thou be called; For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, To prepare His ways.

^{77 Ref} To give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,

^{78 Ref} Through the tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon us,

^{79 Ref} To give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, To guide our feet to a way of peace.'

^{80 Ref} And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit, and he was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

^{1 Ref} Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,

^{2 Ref} even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,

^{3 Ref} it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

^{4 Ref} that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

^{5 Ref} There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

^{6 Ref} They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

^{7 Ref} But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

^{8 Ref} Now it happened, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his division,

^{9 Ref} according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

^{10 Ref} The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

^{11 Ref} An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

^{12 Ref} Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

^{13 Ref} But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

^{14 Ref} You will have joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth.

^{15 Ref} For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

^{16 Ref} He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God.

^{17 Ref} He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, '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."

^{18 Ref} Zacharias said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."

^{19 Ref} The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.

^{20 Ref} Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things will happen, because you didn't believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."

^{21 Ref} The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

^{22 Ref} When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.

^{23 Ref} It happened, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

²⁴ After these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

^{25 Ref} "Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men."

^{26 Ref} Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

^{27 Ref} to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

^{28 Ref} Having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!"

^{29 Ref} But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.

^{30 Ref} The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

^{31 Ref} Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name 'Jesus.'

^{32 Ref} He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David,

^{33 Ref} and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom."

^{34 Ref} Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?"

^{35 Ref} The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

³⁶ Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

^{37 Ref} For everything spoken by God is possible."

^{38 Ref} Mary said, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word." The angel departed from her.

^{39 Ref} Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,

⁴⁰ and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

^{41 Ref} It happened, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, that the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

^{42 Ref} She called out with a loud voice, and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

^{43 Ref} Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴ For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy!

^{45 Ref} Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!"

^{46 Ref} Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord.

^{47 Ref} My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,

^{48 Ref} For he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

^{49 Ref} For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

^{50 Ref} His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.

^{51 Ref} He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

^{52 Ref} He has put down princes from their thrones. And has exalted the lowly.

^{53 Ref} He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.

^{54 Ref} He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,

^{55 Ref} As he spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his seed forever."

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

^{57 Ref} Now the time that Elizabeth should give birth was fulfilled, and she brought forth a son.

^{58 Ref} Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her, and they rejoiced with her.

^{59 Ref} It happened on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of the father.

^{60 Ref} His mother answered, "Not so; but he will be called John."

⁶¹ They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."

^{62 Ref} They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.

^{63 Ref} He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." They all marveled.

^{64 Ref} His mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God.

^{65 Ref} Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

^{66 Ref} All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, "What then will this child be?" The hand of the Lord was with him.

^{67 Ref} His father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

^{68 Ref} "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, For he has visited and worked redemption for his people;

^{69 Ref} And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

^{70 Ref} (As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

^{71 Ref} Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;

^{72 Ref} To show mercy towards our fathers, To remember his holy covenant,

^{73 Ref} The oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,

^{74 Ref} To grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear,

^{75 Ref} In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

^{76 Ref} And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, For you will go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways,

^{77 Ref} To give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins,

^{78 Ref} Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dawn from on high will visit us,

^{79 Ref} To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace."

^{80 Ref} The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

^{1 Ref} As a number of attempts have been made to put together in order an account of those events which took place among us,

^{2 Ref} As they were handed down to us by those who saw them from the first and were preachers of the word,

^{3 Ref} It seemed good to me, having made observation, with great care, of the direction of events in their order, to put the facts in writing for you, most noble Theophilus;

^{4 Ref} So that you might have certain knowledge of those things about which you were given teaching.

^{5 Ref} In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the order of Abijah; and he had a wife of the family of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

^{6 Ref} They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong.

^{7 Ref} And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old.

^{8 Ref} Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God,

^{9 Ref} And as was the way of the priests, he had to go into the Temple to see to the burning of perfumes.

^{10 Ref} And all the people were offering prayers outside, at the time of the burning of perfumes.

^{11 Ref} And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar.

^{12 Ref} And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him.

^{13 Ref} But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John.

^{14 Ref} And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth.

^{15 Ref} For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth.

^{16 Ref} And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.

^{17 Ref} And he will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of fathers to their children, and wrongdoers to the way of righteousness; to make ready a people whose hearts have been turned to the Lord.

^{18 Ref} And Zacharias said to the angel, How may I be certain of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far on in years.

^{19 Ref} And the angel, answering, said, I am Gabriel, whose place is before God; I have been sent to say these words to you and to give you this good news.

^{20 Ref} Now, see, you will be without voice or language till the day when these things come about, because you had not faith in my words, which will have effect at the right time.

^{21 Ref} And the people were waiting for Zacharias and were surprised because he was in the Temple for such a long time.

^{22 Ref} And when he came out he was not able to say anything, and they saw that he had seen a vision in the Temple; and he was making signs to them without words.

^{23 Ref} And when the days of his work in the Temple were ended, he went back to his house.

²⁴ After that time, Elisabeth, being certain that she was to become a mother, kept herself from men's eyes for five months, saying,

^{25 Ref} The Lord has done this to me, for his eyes were on me, to take away my shame in the eyes of men.

^{26 Ref} Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth,

^{27 Ref} To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.

^{28 Ref} And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you.

^{29 Ref} But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words?

^{30 Ref} And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval.

^{31 Ref} And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus.

^{32 Ref} He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father:

^{33 Ref} He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

^{34 Ref} And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man?

^{35 Ref} And the angel in answer said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you, and so that which will come to birth will be named holy, Son of God.

³⁶ Even now Elisabeth, who is of your family, is to be a mother, though she is old: and this is the sixth month with her who was without children.

^{37 Ref} For there is nothing which God is not able to do.

^{38 Ref} And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say. And the angel went away.

^{39 Ref} Then Mary got up and went quickly into the high lands, to a town of Judah;

⁴⁰ And went into the house of Zacharias and took Elisabeth in her arms.

^{41 Ref} And when the voice of Mary came to the ears of Elisabeth, the baby made a sudden move inside her; then Elisabeth was full of the Holy Spirit,

^{42 Ref} And she said with a loud voice: May blessing be on you among women, and a blessing on the child of your body.

^{43 Ref} How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

⁴⁴ For, truly, when the sound of your voice came to my ears, the baby in my body made a sudden move for joy.

^{45 Ref} Happy will she be who had faith that the things which the Lord has said to her will be done.

^{46 Ref} And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God;

^{47 Ref} My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.

^{48 Ref} For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me.

^{49 Ref} For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.

^{50 Ref} His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him.

^{51 Ref} With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts.

^{52 Ref} He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree.

^{53 Ref} Those who had no food he made full of good things; the men of wealth he sent away with nothing in their hands;

^{54 Ref} His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever,

^{55 Ref} As he gave his word to our fathers.

⁵⁶ And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house.

^{57 Ref} Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son.

^{58 Ref} And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy.

^{59 Ref} And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name;

^{60 Ref} But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John.

⁶¹ And they said, Not one of your relations has that name.

^{62 Ref} And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him.

^{63 Ref} And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised.

^{64 Ref} And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God.

^{65 Ref} And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea.

^{66 Ref} And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

^{67 Ref} And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words:

^{68 Ref} Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free,

^{69 Ref} Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

^{70 Ref} (As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,)

^{71 Ref} Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us;

^{72 Ref} To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word,

^{73 Ref} The oath which he made to Abraham, our father,

^{74 Ref} That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship,

^{75 Ref} In righteousness and holy living before him all our days.

^{76 Ref} And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways;

^{77 Ref} To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins,

^{78 Ref} Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us,

^{79 Ref} To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace.

^{80 Ref} And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel.