Luke - Chapter 1

Passage

Since many have undertaken to set forth in order an account of the things that have been accomplished among us, Just as they handed them down to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, It seemed good to me also, having carefully followed all things from the beginning, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus, So that you may know the truth of the words in which you have been instructed. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth. And they were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord without blame. And they had no son, because Elizabeth was barren: and they were both well advanced in years. And it happened, while he was carrying out the priestly duty in the order of his course before God, According to the custom of the priestly office, it fell to him by lot to offer incense, going into the temple of the Lord. And all the crowd of the people was praying outside, at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zachary, seeing him, was troubled: and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for your prayer is heard: and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son. And you shall call his name John. And you shall have joy and gladness: and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great before the Lord and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the unbelieving to the wisdom of the just, to prepare for the Lord a perfect people. And Zachary said to the angel: How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years. And the angel answered and said to him: I am Gabriel, who stand before God, and I am sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be unable to speak until the day when these things happen, because you have not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time. And the people were waiting for Zachary: and they wondered that he stayed so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained unable to speak. And it happened, when the days of his service were completed, he went to his own house. And after those days, Elizabeth his wife conceived and hid herself five months, saying: Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days when he looked on me to take away my reproach among men. And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said to her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women. And when she heard this, she was troubled at his saying and wondered within herself what kind of greeting this could be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God. Behold you shall conceive in your womb and shall bring forth a son: and you shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give to him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. And therefore also the Holy One who shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. And behold your cousin Elizabeth, she also has conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren. Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda. And she entered the house of Zachary and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed are you who have believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to you by the Lord. And Mary said: My soul does magnify the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he has regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he who is mighty has done great things for me: and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation to generations, to those who fear him. He has shown might in his arm: he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their seat and has exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he has sent empty away. He has received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy. As he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his seed for ever. And Mary stayed with her about three months. And she returned to her own house. Now Elizabeth's full time to be delivered had come: and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her: and they rejoiced with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child: and they called him by his father's name Zachary. And his mother answered and said: Not so. But he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, asking what he would have him called. And asking for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed: and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbors: and all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea. And all who heard them kept them in their heart, saying: What kind of child, do you think, shall this be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because he has visited and brought about the redemption of his people. And has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant. As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us: To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant: The oath which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us, That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear: In holiness and justice before him, all our days. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his people, to the remission of their sins. Through the tender mercy of our God, in which the Dawn from on high has visited us: To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death: to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew and was strengthened in spirit: and was in the deserts until the day of his showing to Israel.