Luke 1
Young's Literal Translation
1 Seeing that many did take in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,
2 as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, --
3 it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,
4 that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elisabeth;
6 and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless,
7 and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
8 And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary of the Lord,
10 and all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume.
11 And there appeared to him a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume,
12 and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;
13 and the messenger said unto him, `Fear not, Zacharias, for thy supplication was heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear a son to thee, and thou shalt call his name John,
14 and there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy,
15 for he shall be great before the Lord, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and of the Holy Spirit he shall be full, even from his mother's womb;
16 and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God,
17 and he shall go before Him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers unto children, and disobedient ones to the wisdom of righteous ones, to make ready for the Lord, a people prepared.'
18 And Zacharias said unto the messenger, `Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?'
19 And the messenger answering said to him, `I am Gabriel, who have been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to proclaim these good news to thee,
20 and lo, thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak, till the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou didst not believe my words, that shall be fulfilled in their season.'
21 And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his tarrying in the sanctuary,
22 and having come out, he was not able to speak to them, and they perceived that a vision he had seen in the sanctuary, and he was beckoning to them, and did remain dumb.
23 And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,
24 and after those days, his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying --
25 `Thus hath the Lord done to me, in days in which He looked upon [me], to take away my reproach among men.'
26 And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which [is] Nazareth,
27 to a virgin, betrothed to a man, whose name [is] Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin [is] Mary.
28 And the messenger having come in unto her, said, `Hail, favoured one, the Lord [is] with thee; blessed [art] thou among women;'
29 and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.
30 And the messenger said to her, `Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;
31 and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus;
32 he shall be great, and Son of the Highest he shall be called, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father,
33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.'
34 And Mary said unto the messenger, `How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?'
35 And the messenger answering said to her, `The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also the holy-begotten thing shall be called Son of God;
36 and lo, Elisabeth, thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called barren;
37 because nothing shall be impossible with God.'
38 And Mary said, `Lo, the maid-servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to thy saying,' and the messenger went away from her.
39 And Mary having arisen in those days, went to the hill-country, with haste, to a city of Judea,
40 and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe did leap in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and spake out with a loud voice, and said, `Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb;
43 and whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come unto me?
44 for, lo, when the voice of thy salutation came to my ears, leap in gladness did the babe in my womb;
45 and happy [is] she who did believe, for there shall be a completion to the things spoken to her from the Lord.'
46 And Mary said, `My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,
48 Because He looked on the lowliness of His maid-servant, For, lo, henceforth call me happy shall all the generations,
49 For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy [is] His name,
50 And His kindness [is] to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,
51 He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,
52 He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,
53 The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,
54 He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,
55 As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed -- to the age.'
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.
57 And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare a son,
58 and the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it came to pass, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias,
60 and his mother answering said, `No, but he shall be called John.'
61 And they said unto her -- `There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,'
62 and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,
63 and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, `John is his name;' and they did all wonder;
64 and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.
65 And fear came upon all those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,
66 and all who heard did lay them up in their hearts, saying, `What then shall this child be?' and the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,
68 `Blessed [is] the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,
69 And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,
70 As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age;
71 Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,
72 To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,
73 An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,
74 To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,
75 To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, Prophet of the Highest Shalt thou be called; For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, To prepare His ways.
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon us,
79 To give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, To guide our feet to a way of peace.'
80 And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit, and he was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Lucas 1
Reina Valera Contemporánea
Dedicatoria a Teófilo
1 Excelentísimo Teófilo: Muchos han tratado ya de relatar en forma ordenada la historia de los sucesos que ciertamente se han cumplido entre nosotros, 2 tal y como nos los enseñaron quienes desde el principio fueron testigos presenciales y ministros de la palabra. 3 Después de haber investigado todo con sumo cuidado desde su origen, me ha parecido una buena idea escribírtelas por orden, 4 para que llegues a conocer bien la verdad de lo que se te ha enseñado.
Anuncio del nacimiento de Juan
5 En los días de Herodes, rey de Judea, había un sacerdote llamado Zacarías, de la clase de Abías,(A) cuya esposa, Elisabet, era descendiente de Aarón. 6 Ambos eran íntegros delante de Dios y obedecían de manera irreprensible todos los mandamientos y ordenanzas del Señor. 7 Pero no tenían hijos, porque Elisabet era estéril y los dos eran ya muy ancianos. 8 Un día en que Zacarías oficiaba como sacerdote delante de Dios, pues le había llegado el turno a su grupo, 9 le tocó en suerte entrar en el santuario del Señor para ofrecer incienso, conforme a la costumbre del sacerdocio. 10 Mientras se quemaba el incienso, todo el pueblo estaba orando afuera. 11 En eso, un ángel del Señor se le apareció a Zacarías. Estaba parado a la derecha del altar del incienso. 12 Cuando Zacarías lo vio, se desconcertó y le sobrevino un gran temor; 13 pero el ángel le dijo: «Zacarías, no tengas miedo, porque tu oración ha sido escuchada. Tu esposa Elisabet te dará un hijo, y tú le pondrás por nombre Juan. 14 Tendrás gozo y alegría, y muchos se regocijarán de su nacimiento, 15 pues ante Dios será un hombre muy importante. No beberá vino ni licor,(B) y tendrá la plenitud del Espíritu Santo desde antes de nacer. 16 Él hará que muchos de los hijos de Israel se vuelvan al Señor su Dios, 17 y lo precederá con el espíritu y el poder de Elías, para hacer que los padres se reconcilien con sus hijos,(C) y para llevar a los desobedientes a obtener la sabiduría de los justos. Así preparará bien al pueblo para recibir al Señor.» 18 Zacarías le preguntó al ángel: «¿Y cómo voy a saber que esto será así? ¡Yo estoy ya muy viejo, y mi esposa es de edad avanzada!» 19 El ángel le respondió: «Yo soy Gabriel,(D) y estoy en presencia de Dios. He sido enviado a hablar contigo para comunicarte estas buenas noticias. 20 Pero como no has creído mis palabras, las cuales se cumplirán a su debido tiempo, ahora vas a quedarte mudo, y no podrás hablar hasta el día en que esto suceda.» 21 Mientras tanto, el pueblo esperaba a que saliera Zacarías, extrañados de que se tardara tanto en el santuario. 22 Pero cuando salió y no les podía hablar, comprendieron que habría tenido una visión en el santuario, pues les hablaba por señas y seguía mudo. 23 Cuando terminaron los días de su ministerio, Zacarías se fue a su casa.
24 Días después, su esposa Elisabet quedó encinta y se recluyó en su casa durante cinco meses, pues decía: 25 «El Señor ha actuado así conmigo para que ya no tenga nada de qué avergonzarme ante nadie.»
Anuncio del nacimiento de Jesús
26 Seis meses después, Dios envió al ángel Gabriel a la ciudad galilea de Nazaret 27 para ver a María,(E) una virgen que estaba comprometida con José, un hombre que era descendiente de David. 28 El ángel entró en donde ella estaba y le dijo: «¡Salve, muy favorecida! El Señor está contigo.» 29 Cuando ella escuchó estas palabras, se sorprendió y se preguntaba qué clase de saludo era ése. 30 El ángel le dijo: «María, no temas. Dios te ha concedido su gracia. 31 Vas a quedar encinta, y darás a luz un hijo, y le pondrás por nombre JESÚS.(F) 32 Éste será un gran hombre, y lo llamarán Hijo del Altísimo. Dios, el Señor, le dará el trono de David, su padre, 33 y reinará sobre la casa de Jacob para siempre, y su reino no tendrá fin.»(G) 34 Pero María le dijo al ángel: «¿Y esto cómo va a suceder? ¡Nunca he estado con un hombre!» 35 El ángel le respondió: «El Espíritu Santo vendrá sobre ti, y el poder del Altísimo te cubrirá con su sombra. Por eso el Santo Ser que nacerá será llamado Hijo de Dios. 36 También tu parienta Elisabet, la que llamaban estéril, ha concebido un hijo en su vejez, y ya está en su sexto mes de embarazo. 37 ¡Para Dios no hay nada imposible!»(H) 38 María dijo entonces: «Yo soy la sierva del Señor. ¡Cúmplase en mí lo que has dicho!» Y el ángel se fue de su presencia.
María visita a Elisabet
39 Por esos mismos días, María fue de prisa a una ciudad de Judá que estaba en las montañas. 40 Al entrar en la casa de Zacarías, saludó a Elisabet. 41 Y sucedió que, al oír Elisabet el saludo de María, la criatura saltó en su vientre y Elisabet recibió la plenitud del Espíritu Santo. 42 Entonces ella exclamó a voz en cuello: «¡Bendita eres tú entre las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre! 43 ¿Cómo pudo sucederme que la madre de mi Señor venga a visitarme? 44 ¡Tan pronto como escuché tu saludo, la criatura saltó de alegría en mi vientre! 45 ¡Dichosa tú, que has creído, porque se cumplirá lo que el Señor te ha anunciado!»
46 Entonces María dijo:(I)
«Mi alma glorifica al Señor,
47 y mi espíritu se regocija en Dios mi Salvador.
48 Pues se ha dignado mirar a su humilde sierva,
Y desde ahora me llamarán dichosa
por todas las generaciones.
49 Grandes cosas ha hecho en mí el Poderoso;
¡Santo es su nombre!
50 La misericordia de Dios es eterna
para aquellos que le temen.
51 Con su brazo hizo grandes proezas,
y deshizo los planes de los soberbios.
52 Derrocó del trono a los poderosos,
Y puso en alto a los humildes.
53 A los hambrientos los colmó de bienes,
y a los ricos los dejó con las manos vacías.
54 Socorrió a su siervo Israel,
y se acordó de su misericordia,
55 de la cual habló con nuestros padres,
con Abrahán(J) y con su descendencia para siempre.»
56 María se quedó con Elisabet como tres meses, y después volvió a su casa.
Nacimiento de Juan el Bautista
57 Cuando se cumplió el tiempo, Elisabet dio a luz un hijo. 58 Y cuando sus vecinos y parientes supieron que Dios le había mostrado su gran misericordia, se alegraron con ella. 59 Al octavo día fueron para circuncidar al niño,(K) y querían ponerle el nombre de su padre, Zacarías. 60 Pero su madre dijo: «No, va a llamarse Juan.» 61 Le preguntaron: «¿Por qué? ¡No hay nadie en tu familia que se llame así!» 62 Luego le preguntaron a su padre, por señas, qué nombre quería ponerle. 63 Zacarías pidió una tablilla y escribió: «Su nombre es Juan.» Y todos se quedaron asombrados. 64 En ese mismo instante, a Zacarías se le destrabó la lengua y comenzó a hablar y a bendecir a Dios. 65 Todos sus vecinos se llenaron de temor, y todo esto se divulgó por todas las montañas de Judea. 66 Todos los que oían esto se ponían a pensar, y se preguntaban: «¿Qué va a ser de este niño?» Y es que la mano del Señor estaba con él.
Profecía de Zacarías
67 Lleno del Espíritu Santo, Zacarías, su padre, profetizó:
68 «Bendito sea el Señor, Dios de Israel,
porque ha venido a redimir a su pueblo.
69 Nos ha levantado un poderoso Salvador
en la casa de David, su siervo,
70 tal y como lo anunció en el pasado
por medio de sus santos profetas:
71 “Salvación de nuestros enemigos,
y del poder de los que nos odian.”
72 Mostró su misericordia a nuestros padres,
y se acordó de su santo pacto,
73 de su juramento a nuestro padre Abrahán:
Prometió que nos concedería
74 ser liberados de nuestros enemigos,
para poder servirle sin temor,
75 en santidad y en justicia
todos nuestros días delante de él.
76 Y a ti, niño, te llamarán “Profeta del Altísimo”,
porque irás precediendo al Señor
para preparar sus caminos.(L)
77 Darás a conocer a su pueblo la salvación
y el perdón de sus pecados,
78 por la entrañable misericordia de nuestro Dios.
La aurora nos visitó desde lo alto,
79 para alumbrar a los que viven en tinieblas(M)
y en medio de sombras de muerte;
para encaminarnos por la senda de la paz.»
80 El niño fue creciendo y fortaleciéndose en espíritu, y vivió en lugares apartados hasta el día en que se presentó públicamente a Israel.
Luke 1
King James Version
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Luke 1
New International Version
Introduction(A)
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first(B) were eyewitnesses(C) and servants of the word.(D) 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account(E) for you, most excellent(F) Theophilus,(G) 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.(H)
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea(I) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;(J) 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.(K) 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,(L) 9 he was chosen by lot,(M) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.(N) 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.(O)
11 Then an angel(P) of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.(Q) 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.(R) 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,(S) Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.(T) 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,(U) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(V) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit(W) even before he is born.(X) 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,(Y) in the spirit and power of Elijah,(Z) to turn the hearts of the parents to their children(AA) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(AB)
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?(AC) I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”(AD)
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.(AE) 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(AF) 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(AG) 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(AH) among the people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel(AI) to Nazareth,(AJ) a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,(AK) 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,(AL) Mary; you have found favor with God.(AM) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.(AN) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(AO) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(AP) 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom(AQ) will never end.”(AR)
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,(AS) and the power of the Most High(AT) will overshadow you. So the holy one(AU) to be born will be called[b] the Son of God.(AV) 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child(AW) 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.”(AX)
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,(AY) 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.(AZ) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(BA) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(BB) 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(BC)
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord(BD)
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(BE)
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.(BF)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(BG)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things(BH) for me—
holy is his name.(BI)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.(BJ)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(BK)
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(BL)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.(BM)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(BN)
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful(BO)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(BP) 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(BQ) 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.”(BR)
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs(BS) 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.”(BT) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(BU) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(BV) 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.(BW)
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(BX) and prophesied:(BY)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(BZ)
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(CA)
69 He has raised up a horn[c](CB) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David(CC)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(CD)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(CE)
and to remember his holy covenant,(CF)
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(CG)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him(CH) without fear(CI)
75 in holiness and righteousness(CJ) before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(CK) of the Most High;(CL)
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(CM)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,(CN)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun(CO) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,(CP)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(CQ)
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d];(CR) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Copyright © 2009, 2011 by Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
