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Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 A short time later Mary hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea. 40 She went into Zechariah's home, where she greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby moved within her.

The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth. 42 (A) Then in a loud voice she said to Mary:

God has blessed you more than any other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have. 43 Why should the mother of my Lord come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, my baby became happy and moved within me. 45 The Lord has blessed you because you believed that he will keep his promise.

Mary's Song of Praise

46 (B) Mary said:

With all my heart
    I praise the Lord,
47 and I am glad
    because of God my Savior.
48 God cares for me,
    his humble servant.
From now on,
all people will say
    God has blessed me.
49 God All-Powerful has done
great things for me,
    and his name is holy.
50 He always shows mercy
to everyone
    who worships him.
51 The Lord has used
    his powerful arm
to scatter those
    who are proud.
52 (C) God drags strong rulers
    from their thrones
and puts humble people
    in places of power.
53 God gives the hungry
    good things to eat,
and sends the rich away
    with nothing.
54 God helps his servant Israel
and is always merciful
    to his people.
55 (D) The Lord made this promise
    to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his family
    forever!

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Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.(A) 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?(B) 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise

46 And Mary[b] said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,(C)
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(D)
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
    Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,(E)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name;(F)
50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.(G)
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.(H)
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
    and lifted up the lowly;(I)
53 he has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away empty.(J)
54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,(K)
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.45 Or believed, for there will be
  2. 1.46 Other ancient authorities read Elizabeth

Blessed Among Women

39-45 Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,

You’re so blessed among women,
    and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that
    the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your
    greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb
    skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said,
    believed every word would come true!

46-55 And Mary said,

I’m bursting with God-news;
    I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
    I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
    the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
    on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
    scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
    pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
    the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
    he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
    beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

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Marie chez Elisabeth

39 Peu après, Marie partit pour se rendre en hâte dans une ville de montagne du territoire de Judée. 40 Elle entra chez Zacharie et salua Elisabeth. 41 Au moment où celle-ci entendit la salutation de Marie, elle sentit son enfant remuer en elle. Elle fut remplie du Saint-Esprit 42 et s’écria d’une voix forte : Tu es bénie plus que toutes les femmes et l’enfant que tu portes est béni. 43 Comment ai-je mérité l’honneur que la mère de mon Seigneur vienne me voir ? 44 Car, vois-tu, au moment même où je t’ai entendu me saluer, mon enfant a bondi de joie au-dedans de moi. 45 Tu es heureuse, toi qui as cru à l’accomplissement de ce que le Seigneur t’a annoncé[a].

46 Alors Marie dit :

Mon âme chante |la grandeur du Seigneur
47 et mon esprit se réjouit |à cause de Dieu, mon Sauveur.
48 Car il a bien voulu |abaisser son regard |sur son humble servante.
C’est pourquoi, désormais, |à travers tous les temps, |on m’appellera bienheureuse.
49 Car le Dieu tout-puissant |a fait pour moi de grandes choses ;
lui, il est saint[b] .
50 Et sa bonté |s’étendra d’âge en âge
sur ceux qui le craignent[c] .
51 Il est intervenu |de toute sa puissance
et il a dispersé |les hommes dont le cœur |était rempli d’orgueil.
52 Il a précipité |les puissants de leurs trônes,
et il a élevé les humbles[d] .
53 Il a comblé de biens |ceux qui sont affamés,
et il a renvoyé |les riches les mains vides[e].
54 Oui, il a pris en main |la cause d’Israël[f],
il a témoigné sa bonté |au peuple qui le sert[g],
55 comme il l’avait promis à nos ancêtres,
à Abraham et à ses descendants
pour tous les temps.

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Footnotes

  1. 1.45 Autre traduction : car ce que le Seigneur t’a annoncé s’accomplira.
  2. 1.49 1 S 2.2.
  3. 1.50 Ps 103.13, 17.
  4. 1.52 1 S 2.7.
  5. 1.53 1 S 2.5 ; Ps 107.9.
  6. 1.54 Es 41.8-9.
  7. 1.54 Ps 98.3.