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Introduction
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
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The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
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Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
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Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
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He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
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He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
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Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
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The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
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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 to them but remained unable to speak.
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When his time of service was completed, he returned home.
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After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
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“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
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The Birth of Jesus Foretold
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
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to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
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Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
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But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
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He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
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and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
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The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
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For no word from God will ever fail.”
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Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
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and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
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for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
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for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
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His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
