Zephaniah 3:14-20

New International Version

¹⁴Sing, Daughter Zion;^(A)
    shout aloud,^(B) Israel!
Be glad and rejoice^(C) with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
¹⁵The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;^(D)
    never again will you fear^(E) any harm.^(F)
¹⁶On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.^(G)
¹⁷The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.^(H)
He will take great delight^(I) in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,^(J)
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”^(K)

¹⁸“I will remove from you
    all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
    which is a burden and reproach for you.
¹⁹At that time I will deal
    with all who oppressed^(L) you.
I will rescue the lame;
    I will gather the exiles.^(M)
I will give them praise^(N) and honor
    in every land where they have suffered shame.
²⁰At that time I will gather you;
    at that time I will bring^(O) you home.
I will give you honor^(P) and praise^(Q)
    among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes^[a]^(R)
    before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

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Footnotes

Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives

Luke 1:26-38

New International Version

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel^(A) to Nazareth,^(B) a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,^(C) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,^(D) Mary; you have found favor with God.^(E) ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.^(F) ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.^(G) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,^(H) ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom^(I) will never end.”^(J)

³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,^(K) and the power of the Most High^(L) will overshadow you. So the holy one^(M) to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God.^(N) ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child^(O) in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”^(P)