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

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,

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

just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

3 i t seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,

it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;

4 t hat thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.

so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 T here 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;

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

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

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

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

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

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

Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,

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

according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10 a nd all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.

And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

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

And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

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

Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.

13 a nd 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,

But the angel said to him, “ Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

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

You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15 f or 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;

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

16 a nd many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God,

And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

17 a nd 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.'

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

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

Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain ? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”

19 A nd 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,

The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

20 a nd 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.'

And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

21 A nd the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,

The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

22 a nd 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.

But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.

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

When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

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

After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying,

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

“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.” Jesus’ Birth Foretold

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

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

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

to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

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

And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

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

But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

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

The angel said to her, “ Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

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

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 h e 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,

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

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

and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

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

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 A nd 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;

The angel answered and said to her, “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

36 a nd 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;

And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 b ecause nothing shall be impossible with God.'

For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 A nd 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.

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Mary Visits Elizabeth

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

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

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

and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 A nd 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,

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

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

And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 a nd whence this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come unto me?

And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

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

For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

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

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” The Magnificat

46 A nd Mary said, `My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And Mary said: “ My soul exalts the Lord,

47 A nd my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

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

“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

49 F or He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy His name,

“For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

50 A nd His kindness to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,

“ And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.

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

“ He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

52 H e brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.

53 T he hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,

“ He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed.

54 H e received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,

“He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy,

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

As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

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

And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. John Is Born

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

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

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

Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 A nd 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,

And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

60 a nd his mother answering said, `No, but he shall be called John.'

But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.”

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

And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 a nd they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,

And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

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

And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “ His name is John.” And they were all astonished.

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

And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.

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

Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea.

66 a nd 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.

All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him. Zacharias’s Prophecy

67 A nd Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

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

“ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 A nd did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,

And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—

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

As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—

71 S alvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,

Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us;

72 T o do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,

To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,

73 A n oath that He sware to Abraham our father,

The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 T o give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,

75 T o serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.

In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 A nd thou, child, Prophet of the Highest Shalt thou be called; For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, To prepare His ways.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

77 T o give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,

To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,

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

Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 T o give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, To guide our feet to a way of peace.'

To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

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

And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.