1 S ince '> as is well known] many have undertaken to put in order and draw up a '> thorough] narrative of the surely established deeds which have been accomplished and fulfilled in and among us,

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

2 E xactly as they were handed down to us by those who from the '> official] beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word '> the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God],

as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, --

3 I t seemed good and desirable to me, also after having searched out diligently and followed all things closely and traced accurately the course from the highest to the minutest detail from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

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 t hat you may know the full truth and understand with certainty and security against error the accounts (histories) and doctrines of the faith of which you have been informed and in which you have been orally instructed.

that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.

5 I n the days when Herod was king of Judea there was a certain priest whose name was Zachariah, of the daily service (the division) of Abia; and his wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

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 A nd they both were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless,

7 B ut they had no child, for Elizabeth was barren; and both were far advanced in years.

and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.

8 N ow while on duty, serving as priest before God in the order of his division,

And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God,

9 A s was the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter '> sanctuary of] the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary of the Lord,

10 A nd all the throng of people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

and all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.

11 A nd there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

And there appeared to him a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume,

12 A nd when Zachariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear took possession of him.

and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;

13 B ut the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zachariah, because your petition was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you must call his name John.

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 A nd you shall have joy and exultant delight, and many will rejoice over his birth,

and there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy,

15 F or he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord. And he must drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit even in and from his mother’s womb.

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 A nd he will turn back and cause to return many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God,

and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God,

17 A nd he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient and incredulous and unpersuadable to the wisdom of the upright '> the knowledge and holy love of the will of God]—in order to make ready for the Lord a people prepared '> adjusted and disposed and placed in the right moral state].

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 A nd Zachariah said to the angel, By what shall I know and be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.

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

19 A nd the angel replied to him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to talk to you and to bring you this good news.

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 N ow behold, you will be and will continue to be silent and not able to speak till the day when these things take place, because you have not believed what I told you; but my words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time.

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 N ow the people kept waiting for Zachariah, and they wondered at his delaying in the sanctuary.

And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,

22 B ut when he did come out, he was unable to speak to them; and they '> clearly] perceived that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary; and he kept making signs to them, still he remained dumb.

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 A nd when his time of performing priestly functions was ended, he returned to his house.

And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,

24 N ow after this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she secluded herself entirely, saying,

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

25 B ecause thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He deigned to look on me to take away my reproach among men.

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

26 N ow in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth,

And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which Nazareth,

27 T o a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

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

28 A nd he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one '> endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!

And the messenger having come in unto her, said, `Hail, favoured one, the Lord with thee; blessed thou among women;'

29 B ut when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean.

and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.

30 A nd the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace ( free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God.

And the messenger said to her, `Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;

31 A nd listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus.

and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus;

32 H e will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David,

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 A nd He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end.

and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.'

34 A nd Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no husband?

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

35 T hen the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.

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 A nd listen! Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is now the sixth month with her who was called barren.

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 F or with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.

because nothing shall be impossible with God.'

38 T hen Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.

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 A nd at that time Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town of Judah,

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

40 A nd she went to the house of Zachariah and, entering it, saluted Elizabeth.

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

41 A nd it occurred that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

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 A nd she cried out with a loud cry, and then exclaimed, Blessed (favored of God) above all other women are you! And blessed (favored of God) is the Fruit of your womb!

and spake out with a loud voice, and said, `Blessed thou among women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb;

43 A nd how be granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

and whence this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come unto me?

44 F or behold, the instant the sound of your salutation reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

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

45 A nd blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from the Lord.

and happy she who did believe, for there shall be a completion to the things spoken to her from the Lord.'

46 A nd Mary said, My soul magnifies and extols the Lord,

And Mary said, `My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47 A nd my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

And my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,

48 F or He has looked upon the low station and humiliation of His handmaiden. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed and declare me happy and to be envied!

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

49 F or He Who is almighty has done great things for me—and holy is His name!

For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy His name,

50 A nd His mercy (His compassion and kindness toward the miserable and afflicted) is on those who fear Him with godly reverence, from generation to generation and age to age.

And His kindness to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,

51 H e has shown strength and made might with His arm; He has scattered the proud and haughty in and by the imagination and purpose and designs of their hearts.

He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,

52 H e has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree.

He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,

53 H e has filled and satisfied the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty-handed.

The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,

54 H e has laid hold on His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,

He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,

55 E ven as He promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed -- to the age.'

56 A nd Mary remained with her for about three months and returned to her home.

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

57 N ow the time that Elizabeth should be delivered came, and she gave birth to a son.

And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare a son,

58 A nd her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy on her, and they rejoiced with her.

and the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.

59 A nd it occurred that on the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were intending to call him Zachariah after his father,

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 B ut his mother answered, Not so! But he shall be called John.

and his mother answering said, `No, but he shall be called John.'

61 A nd they said to her, None of your relatives is called by that name.

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

62 A nd they inquired with signs to his father what he wanted to have him called.

and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,

63 T hen Zachariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John. And they were all astonished.

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

64 A nd at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing and praising and thanking God.

and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.

65 A nd awe and reverential fear came on all their neighbors; and all these things were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.

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

66 A nd all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, Whatever will this little boy be then? For the hand of the Lord was '> so evidently] with him.

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 N ow Zachariah his father was filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,

68 B lessed (praised and extolled and thanked) be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and brought deliverance and redemption to His people!

`Blessed the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,

69 A nd He has raised up a Horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant—

And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,

70 T his is as He promised by the mouth of His holy prophets from the most ancient times —

As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age;

71 T hat we should have deliverance and be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who detest and pursue us with hatred;

Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,

72 T o make true and show the mercy and compassion and kindness to our forefathers and to remember and carry out His holy covenant '> all the more sacred because it is made by God Himself],

To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,

73 T hat covenant He sealed by oath to our forefather Abraham:

An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,

74 T o grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our foes, might serve Him fearlessly

To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,

75 I n holiness (divine consecration) and righteousness within His presence all the days of our lives.

To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.

76 A nd you, little one, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; for you shall go on before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways,

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 T o bring and give the knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness and remission of their sins.

To give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,

78 B ecause of and through the heart of tender mercy and loving-kindness of our God, a Light from on high will dawn upon us and visit

Through the tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon us,

79 T o shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct and guide our feet in a straight line into the way of peace.

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

80 A nd the little boy grew and became strong in spirit; and he was in the deserts (wilderness) until the day of his appearing to Israel.

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