Luke 1:46-56
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The Canticle of Mary. 46 (A)And Mary said:[a]
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;(B)
47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior.(C)
48 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.(D)
49 The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.(E)
50 His mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.(F)
51 He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.(G)
52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.(H)
53 The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.(I)
54 He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,(J)
55 according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”(K)
56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
The Birth of John.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:46–55 Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary’s pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God’s favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker.
- 1:57–66 The birth and circumcision of John above all emphasize John’s incorporation into the people of Israel by the sign of the covenant (Gn 17:1–12). The narrative of John’s circumcision also prepares the way for the subsequent description of the circumcision of Jesus in Lk 2:21. At the beginning of his two-volume work Luke shows those who play crucial roles in the inauguration of Christianity to be wholly a part of the people of Israel. At the end of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 21:20; 22:3; 23:6–9; 24:14–16; 26:2–8, 22–23) he will argue that Christianity is the direct descendant of Pharisaic Judaism.
Luke 1:46-56
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 And Mary[a] said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 1:46 Other ancient authorities read Elizabeth
Luke 1:46-56
Good News Translation
Mary's Song of Praise
46 Mary said,
“My heart praises the Lord;
47 my soul is glad because of God my Savior,
48 (A)for he has remembered me, his lowly servant!
From now on all people will call me happy,
49 because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me.
His name is holy;
50 from one generation to another
he shows mercy to those who honor him.
51 He has stretched out his mighty arm
and scattered the proud with all their plans.
52 (B)He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors,
and has come to the help of his servant Israel.
55 (C)He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham
and to all his descendants forever!”
56 Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home.
Read full chapter
Luke 1:46-56
New American Standard Bible
Mary’s Song: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“(A)My soul [a](B)exalts the Lord,
47 And (C)my spirit has rejoiced in (D)God my Savior.
48 For (E)He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will [b]call me (F)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 (G)And His mercy is to generation [c]after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (H)He has done [d]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [e]thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (I)exalted those who were humble.
53 (J)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has given help to His servant Israel,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (K)Just as He spoke to our fathers,
(L)To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
56 Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
Read full chapterScripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.