Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into (A)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 (B)was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, (C)“Blessed are you among women, and (D)blessed is (E)the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of (F)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 (G)blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said,

(H)“My (I)soul (J)magnifies the Lord,
47     (K)and my (L)spirit rejoices in (M)God my Savior,
48 for (N)he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations (O)will call me blessed;
49 for (P)he who is mighty (Q)has done great things for me,
    and (R)holy is his name.
50 And (S)his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 (T)He has shown strength with his arm;
    (U)he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 (V)he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    (W)and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled (X)the hungry with good things,
    and the rich (Y)he has sent away empty.
54 He has (Z)helped (AA)his servant Israel,
    (AB)in remembrance of his mercy,
55 (AC)as he spoke to our fathers,
    (AD)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 (AE)had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And (AF)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; (AG)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And (AH)they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for (AI)a writing tablet and wrote, (AJ)“His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 (AK)And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue (AL)loosed, and he spoke, (AM)blessing God. 65 And (AN)fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all (AO)the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them (AP)laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For (AQ)the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah's Prophecy

67 And his father Zechariah (AR)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (AS)prophesied, saying,

68 (AT)“Blessed be the Lord (AU)God of Israel,
    for he has (AV)visited and (AW)redeemed his people
69 and (AX)has raised up (AY)a horn of salvation for us
    (AZ)in the house of his servant David,
70 (BA)as (BB)he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 (BC)that we should be saved from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (BD)to show the mercy promised to our fathers
    and (BE)to remember his holy (BF)covenant,
73 (BG)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 (BH)without fear,
75     (BI)in holiness and righteousness before him (BJ)all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called (BK)the prophet of (BL)the Most High;
    for (BM)you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    (BN)in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the (BO)tender mercy of our God,
    whereby (BP)the sunrise shall (BQ)visit us[b] (BR)from on high
79 to (BS)give light to (BT)those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into (BU)the way of (BV)peace.”

80 (BW)And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was (BX)in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:45 Or believed, for there will be
  2. Luke 1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us

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