Luke 1:57-80

New International Version

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹On the eighth day they came to circumcise^(A) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”^(B)

⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

⁶²Then they made signs^(C) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”^(D) ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,^(E) praising God. ⁶⁵All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea^(F) people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.^(G)

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(H) and prophesied:^(I)

⁶⁸“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,^(J)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.^(K)
⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[a]^(L) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David^(M)
⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),^(N)
⁷¹salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷²to show mercy to our ancestors^(O)
    and to remember his holy covenant,^(P)
⁷³    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:^(Q)
⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him^(R) without fear^(S)
⁷⁵    in holiness and righteousness^(T) before him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet^(U) of the Most High;^(V)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,^(W)
⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,^(X)
⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun^(Y) will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,^(Z)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”^(AA)

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit^[b];^(AB) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

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Footnotes

Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.
Luke 1:80 Or in the Spirit

Psalm 10-12

New International Version

Psalm 10^[a]

¹Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^(A)
Why do you hide yourself^(B) in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,^(C)
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
³He boasts^(D) about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.^(E)
⁴In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.^(F)
⁵His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by^[b] him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”^(G)

⁷His mouth is full^(H) of lies and threats;^(I)
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.^(J)
⁸He lies in wait^(K) near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.^(L)
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
⁹    like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;^(M)
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.^(N)
¹⁰His victims are crushed,^(O) they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
¹¹He says to himself, “God will never notice;^(P)
    he covers his face and never sees.”^(Q)

¹²Arise,^(R) Lord! Lift up your hand,^(S) O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.^(T)
¹³Why does the wicked man revile God?^(U)
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?^(V)
¹⁴But you, God, see the trouble^(W) of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;^(X)
    you are the helper^(Y) of the fatherless.
¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked man;^(Z)
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever;^(AA)
    the nations^(AB) will perish from his land.
¹⁷You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^(AC)
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,^(AD)
¹⁸defending the fatherless^(AE) and the oppressed,^(AF)
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

¹In the Lord I take refuge.^(AG)
    How then can you say to me:
    “Flee^(AH) like a bird to your mountain.^(AI)
²For look, the wicked bend their bows;^(AJ)
    they set their arrows^(AK) against the strings
to shoot from the shadows^(AL)
    at the upright in heart.^(AM)
³When the foundations^(AN) are being destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;^(AO)
    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.^(AP)
He observes everyone on earth;^(AQ)
    his eyes examine^(AR) them.
⁵The Lord examines the righteous,^(AS)
    but the wicked, those who love violence,
    he hates with a passion.^(AT)
⁶On the wicked he will rain
    fiery coals and burning sulfur;^(AU)
    a scorching wind^(AV) will be their lot.

⁷For the Lord is righteous,^(AW)
he loves justice;^(AX)
the upright^(AY) will see his face.^(AZ)

Psalm 12^[c]

For the director of music. According to sheminith.^[d] A psalm of David.

¹Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;^(BA)
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
²Everyone lies^(BB) to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.^(BC)

³May the Lord silence all flattering lips^(BD)
    and every boastful tongue—^(BE)
⁴those who say,
    “By our tongues we will prevail;^(BF)
    our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

⁵“Because the poor are plundered^(BG) and the needy groan,^(BH)
    I will now arise,^(BI)” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them^(BJ) from those who malign them.”
⁶And the words of the Lord are flawless,^(BK)
    like silver purified^(BL) in a crucible,^(BM)
    like gold^[e] refined seven times.

⁷You, Lord, will keep the needy safe^(BN)
and will protect us forever from the wicked,^(BO)
⁸who freely strut^(BP) about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Footnotes

Psalm 10:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
Psalm 10:5 See Septuagint; Hebrew / they are haughty, and your laws are far from
Psalm 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-8 is numbered 12:2-9.
Psalm 12:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 12:6 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text earth