Luke 1
Legacy Standard Bible
Luke’s Account of Things Fulfilled
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that [a](A)have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those, who (B)from the beginning [b]were (C)eyewitnesses and [c](D)servants of (E)the [d]word, handed them down to us, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, (F)having [e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you (G)in orderly sequence, (H)most excellent (I)Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty about the things you have been [f](J)taught.
John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold
5 (K)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the (L)division of [g]Abijah, and he had a wife [h]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both (M)righteous in the sight of God, walking (N)blamelessly in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the [i]Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in [j]years.
8 Now it happened that while (O)he was performing his priestly service before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot (P)to enter the [k]sanctuary of the [l]Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying (Q)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And (R)an angel of the [m]Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and (S)fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(T)Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will [n]bear you a son, and (U)you will call his name [o]John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the [p]Lord; and (V)he will not drink any wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [q]while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (W)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the [r]Lord their God. 17 And he will (X)go before Him in the spirit and power of (Y)Elijah, (Z)to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to (AA)make ready a people prepared for the [s]Lord.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For (AB)I am an old man and my wife is advanced in [t]years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am (AC)Gabriel, who (AD)stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 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 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. And he (AE)kept [u]making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 And it happened that when the days of his priestly service were fulfilled, he went back home.
24 After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she [v]kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked upon me to (AF)take away my disgrace among men.”
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel (AG)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called (AH)Nazareth, 27 to (AI)a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, (AJ)of the [w]house of David, and the virgin’s name was [x]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, [y]favored one! The Lord [z]is with you.” 29 But she (AK)was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “(AL)Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you (AM)shall name Him Jesus. 32 [aa]He will be great and will be called the Son of (AN)the Most High, and the [ab]Lord God will give Him (AO)the throne of His father David, 33 (AP)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (AQ)and there will be no end of His kingdom.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I [ac]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(AR)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AS)the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason [ad](AT)the holy Child shall be called (AU)the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For [ae](AV)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the slave of the [af]Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now [ag]at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to (AW)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was (AX)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [ah]how has it happened to me, that the mother of (AY)my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And (AZ)blessed is she who believed [ai]that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [aj]by the [ak]Lord.”
Mary Magnifies the Lord
46 And Mary said:
“(BA)My soul (BB)magnifies the [al]Lord,
47 And (BC)my spirit has rejoiced in (BD)God my Savior.
48 For (BE)He has looked upon the humble state of His slave,
For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me (BF)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 (BG)And His mercy is [am]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (BH)He has done a mighty deed with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [an]thoughts of their heart.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (BI)exalted those who were humble.
53 (BJ)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 He has given help to Israel His servant,
[ao]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (BK)As He spoke to our fathers,
(BL)To Abraham and his seed forever.”
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
John the Baptist Is Born
57 Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to [ap]give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had (BM)magnified His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on (BN)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No, but (BO)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 And they (BP)were making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “(BQ)His name is John.” And they all marveled. 64 (BR)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all (BS)the hill country of Judea. 66 And all who heard these things put them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For (BT)the hand of the [aq]Lord was indeed with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (BU)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and (BV)prophesied, saying:
68 “(BW)Blessed be the [ar]Lord God of Israel,
For He visited and accomplished (BX)redemption for His people,
69 And raised up a (BY)horn of salvation for us
In the house of David (BZ)His servant—
70 (CA)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (CB)from of old—
71 [as](CC)Salvation (CD)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 (CE)To show mercy toward our fathers,
(CF)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (CG)The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 (CH)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the (CI)prophet of (CJ)the Most High,
For you will go on (CK)before the [at]Lord to (CL)make ready His ways,
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[au]By (CM)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (CN)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (CO)To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To direct our feet into the (CP)way of peace.”
80 (CQ)And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desolate regions until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Footnotes
- Luke 1:1 Or on which there is full conviction
- Luke 1:2 Lit became
- Luke 1:2 Or ministers
- Luke 1:2 Gospel
- Luke 1:3 Or followed
- Luke 1:4 Or orally instructed in
- Luke 1:5 Gr Abia
- Luke 1:5 Of priestly descent
- Luke 1:6 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Deut 4:1
- Luke 1:7 Lit days
- Luke 1:9 The inner part of the temple
- Luke 1:9 In OT, Yahweh, cf. 2 Kin 18:16
- Luke 1:11 In OT, Yahweh, cf. 2 Kin 1:3
- Luke 1:13 Or give birth to, cf. 1:14, 57
- Luke 1:13 Gr Joannes, Heb Johanan; so in Luke
- Luke 1:15 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 49:5
- Luke 1:15 Lit from
- Luke 1:16 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ex 10:7
- Luke 1:17 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 40:1-3; Mal 4:6
- Luke 1:18 Lit days
- Luke 1:22 Or beckoning to, nodding to
- Luke 1:24 Lit was hidden
- Luke 1:27 Or descendants
- Luke 1:27 Gr Mariam, Heb Miriam; so in Luke
- Luke 1:28 Or woman richly blessed
- Luke 1:28 Or be
- Luke 1:32 Lit This One
- Luke 1:32 In OT, Yahweh, cf. 2 Sam 7:11
- Luke 1:34 Lit know no man
- Luke 1:35 Lit the holy thing begotten
- Luke 1:37 Lit not any word
- Luke 1:38 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Deut 34:5
- Luke 1:39 Lit in these days
- Luke 1:43 Lit from where this to me
- Luke 1:45 Or because there will be
- Luke 1:45 Lit from
- Luke 1:45 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Gen 12:4
- Luke 1:46 In OT, Yahweh, cf. 1 Sam 2:1
- Luke 1:50 Lit unto generations and generations
- Luke 1:51 Lit thought
- Luke 1:54 Lit So as to remember
- Luke 1:57 Or bear
- Luke 1:66 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ex 9:3
- Luke 1:68 In OT, Yahweh, cf. 1 Sam 25:32
- Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
- Luke 1:76 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 40:1-3; Mal 3:1
- Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in
Luke 1
King James Version
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 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 disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
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