Book of Common Prayer

¹⁵ My brothers, it is the same as when a man makes a promise. He makes it good and strong. Then no one can break it or add anything to it.

¹⁶ God made his promises to Abraham and to his Son. The promise does not have the words, `and to his sons,' for that means many sons. But it says, `and to his Son,' and that Son is Christ.

¹⁷ Here is what I mean. The law was given [to Moses] four hundred and thirty years after God gave that promise to Abraham. But it cannot break the strong promise which God made. And the law cannot change God's promise.

¹⁸ Do we get what God has promised us by obeying the law? If we do, then we are not getting it by his promise. But God gave it to Abraham by his promise.

¹⁹ Why then was the law made? God gave it after he made the promise, because so many people were doing what was wrong. The law was to be in power only until the Son came, the one to whom the promise was made. The law was handed down by God's angels with the help of a middle man.

²⁰ To need the help of a middle man there must be more than one person making the agreement. But God is the only one who made the promise.

²¹ Is the law against the promises of God? No, it is not! If a law had been given that could give people life, then surely people would have become good people by the law.

²² But the holy writings say it is like this. The whole world is in prison, kept there by the wrong things they have done. This was done so that people who believe in Jesus Christ would have the blessing. This blessing was promised to those who believe.

⁶⁷ Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke words from God.

⁶⁸ He said, `Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has remembered his people, and set them free.

⁶⁹ He has chosen one from the family of his servant David. He has given him power to save us.

⁷⁰ That is what he promised through his holy prophets of God long ago.

⁷¹ He said he would save us from our enemies and set us free from those who hate us.

⁷² `He said he would be kind to our fathers. He said he would remember his agreement with them.

^73-75 That was what he promised our father Abraham he would surely do. He promised to set us free from our enemies. He promised that we should be without fear. He promised that we would worship him and be holy and good before him as long as we live.

⁷⁶ `You, my child, will be called the prophet or messenger of the Highest One. You will go ahead of the Lord to make his way ready.

⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to be saved by being forgiven for their wrong ways.

⁷⁸ `Our God is kind. A light from heaven will shine.

⁷⁹ That light will shine on those who are in darkness, and are going to die. That light will show us how to walk in peace.'

⁸⁰ The child grew. He became strong in spirit. He lived in the desert until the day when he came to the people of Israel.

1 Here are the names of the people in the family line from which Jesus Christ came. He came from David's family. He came from Abraham's family.

^2-16 esus' family line: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez (his mother was Tamar), Zezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, David the king, Solomon (whose mother was Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah and his brothers (at the time the people of Israel were carried away to Babylon), Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazor, Matthan, Jacob and Joseph who was the husband of Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Christ.

¹⁷ There were fourteen families from Abraham to David. There were fourteen families from David to the time the people were taken to Babylon. And there were fourteen families after that until Christ was born.