Luke 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Dedication to Theophilus
1 Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,(A) 3 I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start,[a] to write a well-ordered account for you, most excellent Theophilus,(B) 4 so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.(C) 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.(D) 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty,(E) 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense.(F) 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.(G) 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.(H) 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,(I) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.(J) 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.(K) 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(L) 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.”(M) 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.(N) 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”(O)
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was ended, he returned to his home.
24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me in this time, when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”(P)
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,(Q) 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.(R) 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[b](S) 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.(T) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.(U) 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”(V) 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[c] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be holy; he will be called Son of God.(W) 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”(X) 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.(Y) 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?(Z) 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[e] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 And Mary[f] said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,(AA)
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(AB)
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,(AC)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;(AD)
50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.(AE)
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.(AF)
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;(AG)
53 he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.(AH)
54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,(AI)
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”(AJ)
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then 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 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.(AK)
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.(AL) 60 But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.(AM)
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:(AN)
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on[g] his people and redeemed them.(AO)
69 He has raised up a mighty savior[h] for us
in the house of his child David,(AP)
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,(AQ)
71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors
and has remembered his holy covenant,(AR)
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,(AS) 75 in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.(AT)
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,(AU)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.(AV)
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break[i] upon[j] us,
79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”(AW)
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.(AX)
Footnotes
- 1.3 Or for a long time
- 1.28 Other ancient authorities add Blessed are you among women
- 1.34 Gk I do not know a man
- 1.35 Other ancient authorities add of you
- 1.45 Or believed, for there will be
- 1.46 Other ancient authorities read Elizabeth
- 1.68 Or has visited
- 1.69 Gk a horn of salvation
- 1.78 Other ancient authorities read has broken
- 1.78 Gk will visit
Luke 1
New American Standard Bible
Introduction
1 Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [a](A)accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who (B)from the beginning [b]were (C)eyewitnesses and [c](D)servants of (E)the [d]word, 3 it seemed fitting to me as well, (F)having [e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you (G)in an orderly sequence, (H)most excellent (I)Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the [f]things you have been [g](J)taught.
John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold
5 (K)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the (L)division of [h]Abijah; and he had a wife [i]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both (M)righteous in the sight of God, walking (N)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 [j]years.
8 Now it happened that while (O)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 (P)to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer (Q)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 Now (R)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 (S)fear [k]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(T)Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (U)you shall [l]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 (V)drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [m]while still in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (W)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And it is he who will (X)go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of (Y)Elijah, (Z)to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to (AA)make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For (AB)I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her [n]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am (AC)Gabriel, who [o](AD)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 (AE)[p]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 [q]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 (AF)take away my disgrace among people.”
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel (AG)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named (AH)Nazareth, 27 to (AI)a virgin [r]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, (AJ)of the [s]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [t]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord [u]is with you.” 29 But she (AK)was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “(AL)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 (AM)shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (AN)the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him (AO)the throne of His father David; 33 (AP)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (AQ)and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I [v]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(AR)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AS)the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also (AT)the [w]holy Child will be called (AU)the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and [x]she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For (AV)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 [y]at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to (AW)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 (AX)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 [z]how has it happened to me that the mother of (AY)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 (AZ)blessed is she who [aa]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [ab]by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“(BA)My soul [ac](BB)exalts the Lord,
47 And (BC)my spirit has rejoiced in (BD)God my Savior.
48 For (BE)He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will [ad]call me (BF)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 (BG)And His mercy is to generation [ae]after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (BH)He has done [af]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [ag]thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (BI)exalted those who were humble.
53 (BJ)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has given help to His servant Israel,
[ah]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (BK)Just as He spoke to our fathers,
(BL)To Abraham and his [ai]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 [aj]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 [ak](BM)displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on (BN)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, [al]after his father. 60 And yet his mother responded and said, “No indeed; but (BO)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 [am](BP)made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote [an]as follows, “(BQ)His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 (BR)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 (BS)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 (BT)the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (BU)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (BV)prophesied, saying:
68 “(BW)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (BX)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (BY)horn of salvation for us
In the house of (BZ)His servant David—
70 (CA)Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (CB)from ancient times—
71 [ao](CC)Salvation (CD)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (CE)To show mercy to our fathers,
(CF)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (CG)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 (CH)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, also will be called the (CI)prophet of (CJ)the Most High;
For you will go on (CK)before the Lord to (CL)prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
[ap]By (CM)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (CN)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (CO)To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (CP)way of peace.”
80 (CQ)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.
Footnotes
- Luke 1:1 Or on which there is full conviction
- Luke 1:2 Lit became
- Luke 1:2 Or ministers
- Luke 1:2 I.e., gospel
- Luke 1:3 Or followed
- Luke 1:4 Lit words
- Luke 1:4 Or orally instructed in
- 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
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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