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Luke 1:26-2:40
English Standard Version
Luke 1:26-2:40
English Standard Version
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel (A)Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named (B)Nazareth, 27 (C)to a virgin betrothed[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, (D)of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, (E)O favored one, (F)the Lord is with you!”[b] 29 But (G)she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for (H)you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, (I)you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and (J)you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (K)the Most High. And the Lord God (L)will give to him the throne of (M)his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob (N)forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[c]
35 And the angel answered her, (O)“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (P)the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be called (Q)holy—(R)the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her (S)who was called barren. 37 For (T)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[e] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And (U)the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into (V)the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth (W)was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, (X)“Blessed are you among women, and (Y)blessed is (Z)the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of (AA)my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And (AB)blessed is she who believed that there would be[f] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said,
(AC)“My (AD)soul (AE)magnifies the Lord,
47 (AF)and my (AG)spirit rejoices in (AH)God my Savior,
48 for (AI)he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations (AJ)will call me blessed;
49 for (AK)he who is mighty (AL)has done great things for me,
and (AM)holy is his name.
50 And (AN)his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 (AO)He has shown strength with his arm;
(AP)he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 (AQ)he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
(AR)and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled (AS)the hungry with good things,
and the rich (AT)he has sent away empty.
54 He has (AU)helped (AV)his servant Israel,
(AW)in remembrance of his mercy,
55 (AX)as he spoke to our fathers,
(AY)to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord (AZ)had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And (BA)on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; (BB)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And (BC)they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for (BD)a writing tablet and wrote, (BE)“His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 (BF)And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue (BG)loosed, and he spoke, (BH)blessing God. 65 And (BI)fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all (BJ)the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them (BK)laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For (BL)the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (BM)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (BN)prophesied, saying,
68 (BO)“Blessed be the Lord (BP)God of Israel,
for he has (BQ)visited and (BR)redeemed his people
69 and (BS)has raised up (BT)a horn of salvation for us
(BU)in the house of his servant David,
70 (BV)as (BW)he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 (BX)that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (BY)to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and (BZ)to remember his holy (CA)covenant,
73 (CB)the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him (CC)without fear,
75 (CD)in holiness and righteousness before him (CE)all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called (CF)the prophet of (CG)the Most High;
for (CH)you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
(CI)in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the (CJ)tender mercy of our God,
whereby (CK)the sunrise shall (CL)visit us[g] (CM)from on high
79 to (CN)give light to (CO)those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into (CP)the way of (CQ)peace.”
80 (CR)And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was (CS)in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2 In those days (CT)a decree went out from (CU)Caesar Augustus that all the world should be (CV)registered. 2 This was the first (CW)registration when[h] Quirinius (CX)was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up (CY)from Galilee, from the town of (CZ)Nazareth, to Judea, to (DA)the city of David, which is called (DB)Bethlehem, (DC)because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[i] who was with child. 6 And (DD)while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and (DE)wrapped him in swaddling cloths and (DF)laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in (DG)the inn.[j]
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord (DH)appeared to them, and (DI)the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all (DJ)the people. 11 For (DK)unto you is born this day in (DL)the city of David (DM)a Savior, who is (DN)Christ (DO)the Lord. 12 And (DP)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby (DQ)wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel (DR)a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 (DS)“Glory to God (DT)in the highest,
(DU)and on earth (DV)peace (DW)among those with whom he is pleased!”[k]
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby (DX)lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But (DY)Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, (DZ)glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21 And (EA)at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, (EB)he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Presented at the Temple
22 And (EC)when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem (ED)to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in (EE)the Law of the Lord, (EF)“Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in (EG)the Law of the Lord, (EH)“a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was (EI)righteous and (EJ)devout, (EK)waiting for (EL)the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not (EM)see death before he had seen (EN)the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when (EO)the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and (EP)blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant[l] depart (EQ)in peace,
(ER)according to your word;
30 for (ES)my eyes have seen your (ET)salvation
31 (EU)that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 (EV)a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and (EW)for glory to (EX)your people Israel.”
33 And (EY)his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed (EZ)for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign (FA)that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was (FB)a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.[m] She did not depart from the temple, (FC)worshiping with (FD)fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were (FE)waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 And when they had performed everything according to (FF)the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of (FG)Nazareth. 40 (FH)And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
Footnotes
- Luke 1:27 That is, legally pledged to be married
- Luke 1:28 Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women!
- Luke 1:34 Greek since I do not know a man
- Luke 1:35 Some manuscripts add of you
- Luke 1:38 Greek bondservant; also verse 48
- Luke 1:45 Or believed, for there will be
- Luke 1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us
- Luke 2:2 Or This was the registration before
- Luke 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married
- Luke 2:7 Or guest room
- Luke 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men
- Luke 2:29 Or bondservant
- Luke 2:37 Or as a widow for eighty-four years
Luke 1:26-2:40
New International Version
Luke 1:26-2:40
New International Version
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel(A) to Nazareth,(B) a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,(C) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,(D) Mary; you have found favor with God.(E) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.(F) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(G) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(H) 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom(I) will never end.”(J)
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,(K) and the power of the Most High(L) will overshadow you. So the holy one(M) to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.(N) 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child(O) in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”(P)
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,(Q) 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(R) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(S) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(T) should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song(U)
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord(V)
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(W)
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.(X)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(Y)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things(Z) for me—
holy is his name.(AA)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.(AB)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(AC)
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(AD)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.(AE)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(AF)
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful(AG)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(AH) forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise(AI) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”(AJ)
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs(AK) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”(AL) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(AM) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(AN) people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.(AO)
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(AP) and prophesied:(AQ)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(AR)
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(AS)
69 He has raised up a horn[b](AT) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David(AU)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(AV)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(AW)
and to remember his holy covenant,(AX)
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(AY)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him(AZ) without fear(BA)
75 in holiness and righteousness(BB) before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(BC) of the Most High;(BD)
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(BE)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,(BF)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun(BG) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,(BH)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(BI)
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[c];(BJ) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
The Birth of Jesus
2 In those days Caesar Augustus(BK) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.(BL) 2 (This was the first census that took place while[d] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)(BM) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem(BN) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him(BO) and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel(BP) of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.(BQ) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior(BR) has been born to you; he is the Messiah,(BS) the Lord.(BT) 12 This will be a sign(BU) to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace(BV) to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.(BW) 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.(BX) 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God(BY) for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child,(BZ) he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.(CA)
Jesus Presented in the Temple
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,(CB) Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[e]),(CC) 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[f](CD)
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.(CE) He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,(CF) and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,(CG) 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,(CH)
you may now dismiss[g] your servant in peace.(CI)
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,(CJ)
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”(CK)
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:(CL) “This child is destined to cause the falling(CM) and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet,(CN) Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[h](CO) She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.(CP) 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.(CQ)
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.(CR) 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.(CS)
Footnotes
- Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,
- Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.
- Luke 1:80 Or in the Spirit
- Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before
- Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12
- Luke 2:24 Lev. 12:8
- Luke 2:29 Or promised, / now dismiss
- Luke 2:37 Or then had been a widow for eighty-four years.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.