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.

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^(A) among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel^(B) to Nazareth,^(C) a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,^(D) 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.”