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Luke 1:5-2:20
New American Standard Bible
Luke 1:5-2:20
New American Standard Bible
John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold
5 (A)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the (B)division of [a]Abijah; and he had a wife [b]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both (C)righteous in the sight of God, walking (D)blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in [c]years.
8 Now it happened that while (E)he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot (F)to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer (G)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 Now (H)an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and (I)fear [d]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(J)Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (K)you shall [e]name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will (L)drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [f]while still in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (M)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And it is he who will (N)go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of (O)Elijah, (P)to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to (Q)make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For (R)I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her [g]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am (S)Gabriel, who [h](T)stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will 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 at their proper time.”
21 And meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he repeatedly (U)[i]made signs to them, and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.
24 Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself [j]in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to (V)take away my disgrace among people.”
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel (W)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named (X)Nazareth, 27 to (Y)a virgin [k]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, (Z)of the [l]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [m]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord [n]is with you.” 29 But she (AA)was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “(AB)Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you (AC)shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (AD)the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him (AE)the throne of His father David; 33 (AF)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (AG)and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I [o]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(AH)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AI)the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also (AJ)the [p]holy Child will be called (AK)the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and [q]she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For (AL)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now [r]at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to (AM)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was (AN)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 [s]how has it happened to me that the mother of (AO)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 (AP)blessed is she who [t]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [u]by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“(AQ)My soul [v](AR)exalts the Lord,
47 And (AS)my spirit has rejoiced in (AT)God my Savior.
48 For (AU)He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will [w]call me (AV)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 (AW)And His mercy is to generation [x]after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (AX)He has done [y]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [z]thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (AY)exalted those who were humble.
53 (AZ)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has given help to His servant Israel,
[aa]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (BA)Just as He spoke to our fathers,
(BB)To Abraham and his [ab]descendants forever.”
56 Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
John the Baptist Is Born
57 Now the time [ac]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [ad](BC)displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on (BD)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, [ae]after his father. 60 And yet his mother responded and said, “No indeed; but (BE)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 [af](BF)made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote [ag]as follows, “(BG)His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 (BH)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking in praise of God. 65 And fear came on all those who lived around them; and all these matters were being talked about in (BI)the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For indeed (BJ)the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (BK)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (BL)prophesied, saying:
68 “(BM)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (BN)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (BO)horn of salvation for us
In the house of (BP)His servant David—
70 (BQ)Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (BR)from ancient times—
71 [ah](BS)Salvation (BT)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (BU)To show mercy to our fathers,
(BV)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (BW)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Would serve Him without fear,
75 (BX)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, also will be called the (BY)prophet of (BZ)the Most High;
For you will go on (CA)before the Lord to (CB)prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
[ai]By (CC)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (CD)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (CE)To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (CF)way of peace.”
80 (CG)Now the child grew and was becoming strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem
2 Now in those days a decree went out from (CH)Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of (CI)all [aj]the inhabited earth. 2 [ak]This was the first census taken while [al]Quirinius was governor of (CJ)Syria. 3 And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because (CK)he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was [am]betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the [an]time came for her to give birth. 7 And she (CL)gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a [ao]manger, because there was no [ap]room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 And (CM)an angel of the Lord suddenly (CN)stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “(CO)Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a (CP)Savior, who is [aq](CQ)Christ (CR)the Lord. 12 And (CS)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [ar]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly [as]army of angels praising God and saying,
14 “(CT)Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people [at](CU)with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [au]manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary (CV)treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, (CW)glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Footnotes
- Luke 1:5 Gr Abia
- Luke 1:5 I.e., of priestly descent
- Luke 1:7 Lit days
- Luke 1:12 Lit fell upon
- Luke 1:13 Lit call his name
- Luke 1:15 Lit still from his
- Luke 1:18 Lit days
- Luke 1:19 Lit stand beside
- Luke 1:22 Possibly gesturing or nodding to them
- Luke 1:24 Or hidden
- Luke 1:27 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
- Luke 1:27 Lit house
- Luke 1:27 Gr Mariam, Heb Miriam; so throughout Luke
- Luke 1:28 Or be
- Luke 1:34 Lit do not know a man
- Luke 1:35 Lit the holy one fathered
- Luke 1:36 Lit this is the sixth month for her who
- Luke 1:39 Lit in these days
- Luke 1:43 Lit from where this to me
- Luke 1:45 Or believed, because there will be
- Luke 1:45 Lit from
- Luke 1:46 Lit makes great
- Luke 1:48 Or consider
- Luke 1:50 Lit and
- Luke 1:51 Lit might
- Luke 1:51 Lit thought, attitude
- Luke 1:54 Lit So as to remember
- Luke 1:55 Lit seed
- Luke 1:57 Lit was fulfilled
- Luke 1:58 Lit magnified His mercy with her
- Luke 1:59 Lit after the name of
- Luke 1:62 I.e., gestured or nodded
- Luke 1:63 Lit saying
- Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
- Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in
- Luke 2:1 I.e., the Roman Empire
- Luke 2:2 Or This took place as a first census
- Luke 2:2 Gr Kyrenios
- Luke 2:5 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
- Luke 2:6 Lit days were completed
- Luke 2:7 Or feeding trough
- Luke 2:7 Or space
- Luke 2:11 I.e., the Messiah
- Luke 2:12 Or feeding trough
- Luke 2:13 Or host
- Luke 2:14 Lit of good pleasure; or of goodwill
- Luke 2:16 Or feeding trough
Luke 1:5-2:20
New International Version
Luke 1:5-2:20
New International Version
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea(A) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;(B) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.(C) 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,(D) 9 he was chosen by lot,(E) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.(F) 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.(G)
11 Then an angel(H) of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.(I) 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.(J) 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,(K) Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.(L) 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,(M) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(N) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit(O) even before he is born.(P) 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord,(Q) in the spirit and power of Elijah,(R) to turn the hearts of the parents to their children(S) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(T)
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?(U) I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”(V)
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.(W) I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak(X) until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs(Y) to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace(Z) among the people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel(AA) to Nazareth,(AB) a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,(AC) 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,(AD) Mary; you have found favor with God.(AE) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.(AF) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(AG) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(AH) 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom(AI) will never end.”(AJ)
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,(AK) and the power of the Most High(AL) will overshadow you. So the holy one(AM) to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.(AN) 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child(AO) 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.”(AP)
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,(AQ) 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.(AR) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(AS) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(AT) 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(AU)
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord(AV)
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(AW)
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.(AX)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(AY)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things(AZ) for me—
holy is his name.(BA)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.(BB)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(BC)
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(BD)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.(BE)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(BF)
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful(BG)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(BH) 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(BI) 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.”(BJ)
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs(BK) 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.”(BL) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(BM) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(BN) 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.(BO)
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(BP) and prophesied:(BQ)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(BR)
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(BS)
69 He has raised up a horn[b](BT) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David(BU)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(BV)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(BW)
and to remember his holy covenant,(BX)
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(BY)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him(BZ) without fear(CA)
75 in holiness and righteousness(CB) before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(CC) of the Most High;(CD)
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(CE)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,(CF)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun(CG) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,(CH)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(CI)
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[c];(CJ) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
The Birth of Jesus
2 In those days Caesar Augustus(CK) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.(CL) 2 (This was the first census that took place while[d] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)(CM) 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(CN) 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(CO) 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(CP) 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.(CQ) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior(CR) has been born to you; he is the Messiah,(CS) the Lord.(CT) 12 This will be a sign(CU) 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(CV) 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.(CW) 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.(CX) 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God(CY) for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
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