Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the
things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from
the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have
delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed
all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account
for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty
concerning the things you have been taught.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named
Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both
righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments
and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth
was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division
was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was
chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And
the whole multitude of the people were 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 Zechariah was
troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel
said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been
heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall
call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many
will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord.
And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn
many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and 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 for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechariah 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 him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I
was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And
behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that
these things take place, because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting
for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.
And 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. And when his time of
service was ended, he went to his home.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five
months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for
me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among
people.”
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city
of Galilee named 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 he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the
Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and
tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel
said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and
you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the
throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of
Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a
virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son,
and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For
nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am
the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
And the angel departed from her.
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill
country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of
Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is
this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the
baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from
the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me
blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to
her home.
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a
son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown
great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth
day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called
him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he
shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your
relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his
father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for
a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all
wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue
loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their
neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the
hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their
hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the
Lord was with him.
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and
prophesied, saying,
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
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 became strong in spirit, and he was in
the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
