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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)

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Footnotes

  1. 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.

46 And Mary said,

Mary’s Song of Praise

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.

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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.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:46 Lit makes great
  2. Luke 1:48 Or consider
  3. Luke 1:50 Lit and
  4. Luke 1:51 Lit might
  5. Luke 1:51 Lit thought, attitude

Mary’s Song(A)

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord(B)
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(C)
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.(D)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(E)
49     for the Mighty One has done great things(F) for me—
    holy is his name.(G)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.(H)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(I)
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(J)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.(K)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(L)
    but has sent the rich away empty.

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