[1 Forsooth for many men endeavoured to ordain the telling of things, which be filled in us,

² as they that saw at the beginning, and were ministers of the word, betaken,

³ it is seen also to me, having from the beginning all things diligently by order, to write to thee, thou best Theophilus,

⁴ that thou know the truth of those words, of which thou art learned.]^[a]

⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a priest [there was some priest], Zacharias by name, of the sort of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

⁶ And [they] both were just before God, going in all the commandments and justifyings of the Lord, without plaint.

⁷ And they had no child, for [that] Elisabeth was barren, and both were of great age in their days [and both had gone far in their days].

⁸ And it befell [Soothly it was done], that when Zacharias should do the office of priesthood, in the order of his course before God,

⁹ after the custom of the priesthood, he went forth by lot [by sort he went forth], and entered into the temple [of the Lord], to incense.

¹⁰ And all the multitude of the people was withoutforth, and prayed in the hour of incensing [praying in the hour of incense].

¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and stood on the right half of the altar of incense [standing on the right half of the altar of incense].

¹² And Zacharias seeing was afraid [And Zacharias seeing was distroubled], and dread fell upon him.

¹³ And the angel said to him, Zacharias, dread thou not; for thy prayer is heard, and Elisabeth, thy wife, shall bear to thee a son, and his name shall be called John.

¹⁴ And joy and gladding shall be to thee; and many shall have joy in his nativity, or birth.

¹⁵ For he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall not drink wine nor cider, and he shall be full-filled with the Holy Ghost [and he shall be filled of the Holy Ghost] yet from his mother's womb.

¹⁶ And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to their Lord God; [And he shall convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord God of them;]

¹⁷ and he shall go before him in the spirit and virtue of Elias; and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers into the sons [and shall turn the hearts of the fathers into the sons], and men out of belief to the prudence of just men, to make ready a perfect people to the Lord.

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, Whereof shall I know this? for I am old, and my wife hath gone far in her days.

¹⁹ And the angel answered, and said to him [And the angel answering said to him], For I am Gabriel, that stand nigh before God; and I am sent to thee to speak, and to evangelize to thee these things [and to evangelize, or tell, to thee these things].

²⁰ And lo! thou shalt be dumb, and thou shalt not be able to speak till into the day, in which these things shall be done; for thou hast not believed to my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time.

²¹ And the people was abiding Zacharias, and they wondered, that he tarried in the temple.

²² And he went out, and might not speak to them, and they knew that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he beckoned to them, and dwelled still dumb.

²³ And it was done, when the days of his office were fulfilled, he went into his house.

²⁴ And after these days Elisabeth, his wife, conceived, and hid her(self) five months, and said [saying],

²⁵ For so the Lord did to me in the days, in which he beheld, to take away my reproof among men.

²⁶ But in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, whose name was Nazareth [to which the name Nazareth],

²⁷ to a maiden [to a virgin], wedded to a man, whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the maiden was Mary.

²⁸ And the angel entered to her, and said, Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed be thou among women.

²⁹ And when she had heard, she was troubled in his word, and thought what manner salutation this was.

³⁰ And the angel said to her, Dread thou not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

³¹ Lo! thou shalt conceive in [the] womb, and shalt bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

³² This shall be great [He shall be great], and he shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give to him the seat of David, his father,

³³ and he shall reign in the house of Jacob without end [and he shall reign in the house of Jacob into without end], and of his realm shall be none end.

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, On what manner shall this thing be done, for I know not man?

³⁵ And the angel answered, and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come from above into thee, and the virtue of the Highest shall overshadow thee; and therefore that holy thing that shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.

³⁶ And lo! Elisabeth, thy cousin, and she also hath conceived a son in her old (age), and this month is the sixth to her that is called barren;

³⁷ for every word shall not be impossible with God.

³⁸ And Mary said, Lo! the handmaid of the Lord^[b]; be it done to me after thy word. And the angel departed from her.

³⁹ And Mary rose up in those days, and went with haste into the mountains, into a city of Judaea. [Soothly Mary rising up in those days, went with haste into the hilly places, into a city of Judaea.]

⁴⁰ And she entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elisabeth.

⁴¹ And it was done, as Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the young child in her womb gladded. And Elisabeth was full-filled with the Holy Ghost [And Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost],

⁴² and cried with a great voice, and said, Blessed be thou among women, and blessed be the fruit of thy womb.

⁴³ And whereof is this thing to me, that the mother of my Lord come to me?

⁴⁴ For lo! as the voice of thy salutation was made in mine ears, the young child gladded in joy in my womb [the young child gladded with joy in my womb].

⁴⁵ And blessed be thou, that hast believed, for those things that be said of the Lord to thee [for those things that be said to thee from the Lord], shall be perfectly done.

⁴⁶ And Mary said, My soul magnifieth the Lord,

⁴⁷ and my spirit hath gladded in God, mine health [mine health-giver].

⁴⁸ For he hath beheld the meekness of his handmaiden. For lo! of this all generations shall say that I am blessed.^[c]

⁴⁹ For he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and his name is holy.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is from kindred into kindreds [from kindreds into kindreds], to men that dread him.

⁵¹ He made might in his arm, he scattered proud men with the thought of his heart.

⁵² He put down mighty men from their seats, and enhanced meek men.

⁵³ He hath full-filled hungry men with goods [He hath filled hungry men with good things], and he hath left rich men void.

⁵⁴ He, having mind of his mercy, took Israel, his child;

⁵⁵ as he hath spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed, into worlds.

⁵⁶ And Mary dwelled with her, as it were three months [Forsooth Mary dwelled with her as three months], and turned again into her house.

⁵⁷ But the time of bearing child was fulfilled to Elisabeth, and she bare a son.

⁵⁸ And the neighbours and the cousins of her heard, that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her; and they thanked him [and they together joyed to her].

⁵⁹ And it was done in the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, by the name of his father.

⁶⁰ And his mother answered, and said, Nay, but he shall be called John.

⁶¹ And they said to her, For no man is in thy kindred, that is called [by] this name.

⁶² And they beckoned to his father, what he would that he were called. [Soothly they made a sign to his father, whom he would him to be called.]

⁶³ And he asking a stylus [a pointel], wrote, saying, John is his name. And all men wondered.

⁶⁴ And at once his mouth was opened [Forsooth his mouth was opened anon], and his tongue, and he spake, and blessed God.

⁶⁵ And dread was made on all their neighbours, and all these words were published on all the mountains of Judaea [on all the hilly places of Judaea].

⁶⁶ And all men that heard putted in their heart, and said, What manner child shall this be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. [And all men that heard put in their heart, saying, Who guessest thou, this child shall be? And soothly the hand of the Lord was with him.]

⁶⁷ And Zacharias, his father, was full-filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, and said, [And Zacharias, his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,]

⁶⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited, and made redemption of his people.

⁶⁹ And he hath raised to us an horn of health in the house of David, his child.

⁷⁰ As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, that were from the world.

⁷¹ Health from our enemies, and from the hand of all men that hated us [and from the hand of all that hated us].

⁷² To do mercy with our fathers, and to have mind of his holy testament.

⁷³ The great oath [The oath] that he swore to Abraham, our father,

⁷⁴ to give himself to us. That we without dread delivered from the hand of our enemies, serve to him [That we delivered from the hand of our enemies, serve to him without dread],

⁷⁵ in holiness and rightwiseness before him in all our days.

⁷⁶ And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways.

⁷⁷ To give science of health to his people, into remission of their sins;

⁷⁸ by the inwardness of the mercy of our God, in the which [in which] he springing up from on high hath visited us.

⁷⁹ To give light to them that sit in darknesses and in the shadow of death; to direct [to dress] our feet into the way of peace.

⁸⁰ And the child waxed, and was comforted in spirit, and was in desert places unto the day [and was in desert till the day] of his showing to Israel.

2 And it was done in those days, a commandment went out from the emperor Augustus [a commandment went out from Caesar Augustus], that all the world should be described.

² This first describing was made of Cyrenius, justice of Syria [justice, or keeper, of Syria].

³ And all men went to make profession, [or acknowledging,] each into his own city.^[d]

⁴ And Joseph went up from Galilee, from the city Nazareth [of the city of Nazareth], into Judaea, into a city of David, that is called Bethlehem, for that he was of the house and of the family of David,

⁵ that he should acknowledge with Mary, his wife, that was wedded to him, and was great with child. [that he should acknowledge with Mary, spoused to him wife, with child.]

⁶ And it was done, while they were there, the days were fulfilled, that she should bear child.

⁷ And she bare her firstborn son, and wrapped him in `clothes, and laid him in a feed-trough [and put him in a cratch], for there was no place to him in no chamber.

⁸ And shepherds were in the same country, waking and keeping the watches of the night on [upon] their flock.

⁹ And lo! the angel of the Lord stood beside them, and the clearness of God shined about them [and the clearness of God shone about them]; and they dreaded with great dread.

¹⁰ And the angel said to them, Do not ye dread; for lo! I preach to you a great joy [lo! soothly I evangelize to you a great joy], that shall be to all people.

¹¹ For a Saviour is born to day to you, that is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

¹² And this is a token to you; ye shall find a young child wrapped in `clothes, and laid in a feed-trough [and put in a cratch].

¹³ And suddenly there was made with the angel a multitude of heavenly knighthood, praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory be in the highest things to God, and in earth peace be to men of good will. [Glory in the highest things to God, and in earth peace to men of good will.]

¹⁵ And it was done, as the angels passed away from them into heaven, the shepherds spake together, and said, Go we over [till] to Bethlehem, and see we this word that is made, which the Lord hath made, and showed to us.

¹⁶ And they hieing came, and found Mary and Joseph, and the young child laid in a feed-trough [put in a cratch].

¹⁷ And they seeing, knew of the word that was said to them of this child.

¹⁸ And all men that heard wondered, and of these things that were said to them of the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these words, bearing together in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds turned again, glorifying and praising God in all things that they had heard and seen, as it was said to them.

²¹ And after that eight days were ended, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, which was called of the angel, before that he was conceived in the womb.

²² And after that the days of the purification of Mary were fulfilled, after Moses' law, they took him into Jerusalem, to offer him to the Lord,

²³ as it is written in the law of the Lord, For every male-kind opening the womb, shall be called holy to the Lord;

²⁴ and that they shall give an offering, after that it is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons [or two culver birds].

²⁵ And lo! a man was in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and virtuous, and abode the comfort of Israel [and this man was just and dread-full, abiding the comfort of Israel]; and the Holy Ghost was in him.

²⁶ And he had taken an answer of the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, but he saw first the Christ of the Lord.

²⁷ And he came in Spirit into the temple. And when his father and mother led [in] the child Jesus to do after the custom of the law for him,

²⁸ he took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹ Lord, now thou lettest go thy servant after thy word in peace; [Lord, now thy leavest thy servant after thy word in peace;]

³⁰ for mine eyes have seen thine health,

³¹ which thou hast made ready before the face of all peoples;

³² light to the showing of heathen men, and glory of thy people Israel.

³³ And his father and his mother were wondering on [upon] these things, that were said of him.

³⁴ And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, Lo! this is set into the falling down and into the rising again [into the falling and into the rising again] of many men in Israel, and into a token, to whom it shall be against-said.

³⁵ And a sword shall pass through thine own soul, that the thoughts be showed of many hearts.

³⁶ And Anna was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the lineage of Aser. And she had gone forth in many days, and had lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood.

³⁷ And this was a widow to fourscore years and four; and she departed not from the temple [which departed not from the temple], but served God night and day in fastings and prayers.

³⁸ And this came upon them in that hour, and acknowledged to the Lord [And this in that hour above coming, acknowledged to the Lord], and spake of him to all that abided the redemption of Israel.

³⁹ And as they had full done all things [And as they had perfectly done all things], after the law of the Lord, they turned again into Galilee, into their city Nazareth.

⁴⁰ And the child waxed, and was comforted, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him.

⁴¹ And his father and mother went each year into Jerusalem [And his father and mother went by all years into Jerusalem], in the solemn day of pask.

⁴² And when Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, after the custom of the feast day.

⁴³ And when the days were done, they turned again; and the child abode in Jerusalem, and his father and mother knew it not.

⁴⁴ For they guessing that he had been in the fellowship, came a day's journey, and sought him among his cousins and his acknowledged.^[e]

⁴⁵ And when they found him not, they turned again into Jerusalem, and sought him [seeking him].

⁴⁶ And it befell [And it was done], that after the third day they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the doctors, hearing them and asking them.

⁴⁷ And all men that heard him, wondered on the prudence and the answers of him.

⁴⁸ And they saw, and wondered. And his mother said to him, Son, what hast thou done to us thus? Lo! thy father and I sorrowing have sought thee.

⁴⁹ And he said to them, What is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that in those things that be of my Father [wist ye not, that in those things that be my Father's], it behooveth me to be?

⁵⁰ And they understood not the word, which he spake to them.

⁵¹ And he came down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept together all these words, and bare them in her heart [bearing together in her heart].

⁵² And Jesus profited in wisdom, age, and grace, with God and men.

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

² Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat Judas and his brethren.

³ Judas begat Phares and Zara, of Thamar. Phares begat Esrom. Esrom begat Aram.

⁴ Aram begat Aminadab. Aminadab begat Naasson. Naasson begat Salmon.

⁵ Salmon begat Booz, of Rachab. Booz begat Obed, of Ruth. Obed begat Jesse.

⁶ Jesse begat David the king. David the king begat Solomon, of her that was Urias's wife.

⁷ Solomon begat Roboam. Roboam begat Abia. Abia begat Asa.

⁸ Asa begat Josaphat. Josaphat begat Joram. Joram begat Ozias.

⁹ Ozias begat Joatham. Joatham begat Achaz. Achaz begat Ezekias.

¹⁰ Ezekias begat Manasses. Manasses begat Amon. Amon begat Josias.

¹¹ Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, into the transmigration of Babylon.

¹² And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel. Salathiel begat Zorobabel.

¹³ Zorobabel begat Abiud. Abiud begat Eliakim. Eliakim begat Azor.

¹⁴ Azor begat Sadoc. Sadoc begat Achim. Achim begat Eliud.

¹⁵ Eliud begat Eleazar. Eleazar begat Matthan. Matthan begat Jacob.

¹⁶ Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, that is called Christ.

¹⁷ And so all the generations from Abraham to David be fourteen generations, and from David [till] to the transmigration of Babylon be fourteen generations, and from the transmigration of Babylon to Christ [and from the transmigration of Babylon unto Christ] be fourteen generations.

¹⁸ But the generation of Christ was thus. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found having of the Holy Ghost in the womb. [Forsooth the generation of Christ was this. When Mary, his mother, was spoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found having in the womb of the Holy Ghost.]

¹⁹ And Joseph, her husband, for he was rightful, and would not publish her, he would privily have left her.^[a]

²⁰ But while he thought these things, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to him in sleep, and said [lo! the angel of the Lord appeared in sleep, or sweven, to him, saying], Joseph, the son of David, do not thou dread to take Mary, thy wife; for that thing that is born in her is of the Holy Ghost.

²¹ And she shall bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall make his people safe from their sins.

²² For all this thing was done, that it should be fulfilled, that was said of the Lord by a prophet, saying,

²³ Lo! a virgin shall have in [the] womb, and she shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, that is to say [that is interpreted], God with us.

²⁴ And Joseph rose [up] from sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary, his wife; [Soothly Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord bade him, and took his wife;]

²⁵ and he knew her not, till she had born her first begotten son, and he called his name Jesus.

2 Therefore when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, lo! astrologers [lo! kings, or wise men,] came from the east to Jerusalem,

² and said [saying], Where is he, that is born [the] king of Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to worship him.

³ But king Herod heard, and was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴ And he gathered together all the princes of priests, and scribes of the people, and inquired of them, where Christ should be born.

⁵ And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Juda; for so it is written by a prophet,

⁶ And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda; for of thee a duke shall go out, that shall govern my people Israel.

⁷ Then Herod called privily the astrologers [the kings], and learned busily of them [busily learned of them] the time of the star that appeared to them.

⁸ And he sent them into Bethlehem, and said, Go ye, and ask ye busily of the child, and when ye have found, tell ye it to me [tell again to me], that I also come, and worship him.

⁹ And when they had heard the king, they went forth [went away]. And lo! the star, that they saw in the east [And lo! the star which they saw in the east], went before them, till it came, and stood above, where the child was.

¹⁰ And they saw the star, and joyed with a full great joy.

¹¹ And they entered into the house, and found the child with Mary, his mother; and they felled down, and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold, incense, and myrrh.

¹² And when they had taken an answer in sleep, that they should not turn again to Herod, they turned again by another way into their [own] country.^[b]

¹³ And when they were gone [And when they had gone away], lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in sleep, and said [saying], Rise up, and take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there, till that I say to thee; for it is to come, that Herod seek the child, to destroy him [to lose him].

¹⁴ And Joseph rose [up], and took the child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt,

¹⁵ and he was there till the death of Herod; that it should be fulfilled, that was said of the Lord by the prophet, saying, From Egypt I have called my son.

¹⁶ Then Herod seeing that he was scorned, either deceived, of the astrologers [Then Herod seeing that he was scorned, or deceived, of the kings], was full wroth; and he sent, and slew all the children, that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years age and within, after the time that he had inquired of the astrologers [after the time that he had sought out of the kings].

¹⁷ Then it was fulfilled, that was said by Jeremy, the prophet, saying,

¹⁸ A voice was heard on high, weeping and much wailing, Rachel beweeping her sons, and she would not be comforted, for they be nought [for they be not].

¹⁹ But when Herod was dead, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in sleep in Egypt, [Soothly Herod dead, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt,]

²⁰ and said [saying], Rise up, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they that sought the life of the child be dead.

²¹ Joseph rose [up], and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²² And he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judaea for Herod, his father, and dreaded to go thither. And he was warned in sleep, and went into the parts of Galilee;

²³ and [he] came, and dwelt in a city, that is called Nazareth, that it should be fulfilled, that was said by prophets, For he shall be called a Nazarene.