Read the Gospels in 40 Days
1 In-as-much-as many undertook[a] to compile a narrative about the things having been fulfilled[b] among us, 2 just as the eyewitnesses from the first[c] and ones having become servants of the word handed-down to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having closely-followed[d] everything carefully from-the-beginning[e], to write it for you in-order, most-excellent Theophilus, 4 in order that you may fully-know the certainty of the things about which you were instructed.
The Birth of John And Jesus
5 In the days of Herod[f], king of Judea:
There Was a Priest Named Zechariah Whose Wife Elizabeth Was Barren
There was a certain priest— Zechariah by name, from the division of Abijah— and a wife for him from the daughters of Aaron. And her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous ones in the sight of God, walking in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord as blameless[g] ones. 7 And there was not a child for them, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced in their days.
During His Temple Service, an Angel Tells Him Elizabeth Will Bear a Son
8 And it came about during his serving-as-priest before God in the order of his division, 9 that according to the custom[h] of the priestly-office, he obtained-by-lot that he might offer-incense[i], [after] having entered into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the offering of incense. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And having seen him, Zechariah was frightened, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be fearing, Zechariah, because your prayer was heard. And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And there will be joy and gladness for you. And many will rejoice over his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will never drink wine and fermented-drink[j], and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still of [k] his mother’s womb, 16 and he will turn-back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go-ahead before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn-back[l] the hearts of fathers to their children, and to turn back disobedient ones with[m] the understanding[n] of righteous ones, to prepare a people having been made-ready for the Lord”. 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “Based-on what shall I know this? For I am an old-man, and my wife is advanced in her days”. 19 And having responded, the angel said to him, “I am Gabriel, the one standing in the presence of God. And I was sent forth to speak to you, and to announce these things as-good-news to you. 20 And behold— you shall be silent and not able to speak until which day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper-time”. 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they were wondering during his delaying in the temple. 22 And having come out, he was not able to speak to them. And they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was motioning to them and continuing to be mute.
Elizabeth Conceives And Hides It For Five Months
23 And it came about that when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went to his house. 24 And after these days, Elizabeth his wife conceived. And she was concealing herself for five months, saying 25 that “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which He looked-upon me to take-away my reproach among people”.
In The Sixth Month, an Angel Appears To Mary, a Virgin Promised In Marriage To Joseph
26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent-forth from God to a city of Galilee for which the name was Nazareth, 27 to a virgin having been promised-in-marriage[o] to a man for whom the name was Joseph, from the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. 28 And having come-in to[p] her, he said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you”. 29 But the one was very-troubled at the statement, and was pondering what-kind-of greeting this might be.
The Angel Tells Mary She Will Give Birth To a Son— Jesus, The Son of God
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be fearing, Mary. For you found favor[q] with God. 31 And behold— you will conceive in your womb and give-birth to a son. And you shall call His name Jesus. 32 This One will be great, and will be called ‘Son of the Most-High’. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father. 33 And He will reign[r] over the house of Jacob forever. And there will not be an end of His kingdom”. 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen, since I am not knowing[s] a man?” 35 And having responded, the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you. For this reason[t] also the Holy Child being born will be called God’s Son. 36 And behold— Elizabeth your relative also herself has conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her, the one being called barren, 37 because no word[u] from God will be impossible”. 38 And Mary said, “Behold the slave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”. And the angel departed from her.
Mary Goes To See Elizabeth
39 And having arisen during these days, Mary proceeded to the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it came about that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped[v] in her womb.
Elizabeth Recognizes Mary As The Mother of Her Lord
And Elizabeth was filled[w] with the Holy Spirit, 42 and exclaimed with a loud shout and said, “You are blessed[x] among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why[y] has this happened to me— that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold— when the sound of your greeting came-to-be in my ears, the baby leaped with gladness in my womb. 45 And blessed[z] is she having believed that[aa] there will be a fulfillment to the things having been spoken to her from the Lord”.
Mary Rejoices Over God Her Savior
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies[ab] the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoiced-greatly over God my Savior. 48 Because He looked-upon[ac] the lowliness[ad] of His slave, for behold— from now on, all generations will consider me blessed[ae], 49 because the Powerful One did great things for me. And His name is holy. 50 And His mercy to generations and generations is on the ones fearing Him. 51 He did a mighty-deed[af] with His arm. He scattered ones proud[ag] in the thought[ah] of their heart. 52 He brought-down rulers from their thrones, and lifted-up lowly ones. 53 He filled ones being hungry with good things, and sent ones being rich away empty. 54 He helped Israel His servant so that He might remember[ai] mercy, 55 just as He spoke to our fathers— to Abraham, and to his seed forever”. 56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Elizabeth Bears a Son, Who Is Named John. People Wonder What This Child Will Be
57 Now for Elizabeth, the time was fulfilled that she might give-birth, and she bore a son. 58 And the neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord magnified His mercy with her, and they were rejoicing-with her. 59 And it came about that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they[aj] were calling[ak] him Zechariah, on the basis of the name of his father. 60 And having responded, his mother said, “No! Instead he will be called John”. 61 And they said to her that “There is no one from your relatives who is called by this name”. 62 And they were motioning to his father as to what he would wish him to be called. 63 And having asked-for a tablet, he wrote, saying “John is his name”. And they all marveled. 64 And at-once his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed. And he was speaking, blessing God. 65 And awe came over all the ones living around them. And all these things were being talked-over in the whole hill country of Judea. 66 And all the ones having heard it put these matters in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For[al] indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah Prophesies That John Will Prepare The Way For The Messiah
67 And Zechariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying 68 “Blessed be the Lord God[am] of Israel, because He visited us and accomplished[an] redemption for His people, 69 and raised-up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant (70 just as He spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from the past age[ao]), 71 a salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all the ones hating us, 72 so as to show mercy to[ap] our fathers and remember[aq] His holy covenant (73 the oath which He swore to Abraham our father)— that He might grant to us that 74 having been delivered from the hand of our enemies, we might be serving[ar] Him fearlessly 75 in holiness and righteousness before Him for all our days. 76 And indeed you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most-High. For you will go before the Lord so as to prepare His ways[as], 77 that you might give[at] His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins 78 because of the deep-feelings-of mercy of our God, with which[au] the rising[av] Sun from on-high will visit us 79 so as to shine-upon the ones sitting in darkness and a shadow of death, that He might direct[aw] our feet into the way of peace”.
John Remains In Seclusion Until His Public Appearance To Israel
80 And the child was growing and becoming-strong in spirit. And he was in the desolate places until the day of his public-appearance[ax] to Israel.
Mary Gives Birth In Bethlehem, Where She And Joseph Went Because of The Roman Census
2 Now it came about during those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus[ay] that all the world should be registered[az]. 2 This first[ba] registration took place while Quirinius was being-governor of Syria. 3 And they were all going to register-themselves[bb]— each one to his own city[bc]. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem— because of his being from the house and family of David— 5 so as to register himself with Mary, the one having been promised-in-marriage to him, being pregnant. 6 And it came about during their being there that the days were fulfilled that she might give-birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son. And she wrapped Him in swaddling-cloths[bd], and laid Him in a manger[be], because there was not a place for them in the inn.
Angels Announce The Birth of The Savior To Shepherds In The Field
8 And shepherds were in the same region, living-in-the-fields and watching over their flock for watches of the night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shined around them, and they feared a great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be fearing. For behold— I am announcing-as-good-news to you a great joy which will be for all the people, 11 because[bf] a Savior was born for you today in the city of David, Who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby having been wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”. 13 And suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host was with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest [heavens]. And peace on earth among people of [bg] [His] good-will[bh]”. 15 And it came about that when the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds were saying to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing having taken place which the Lord made-known to us”. 16 And they came, having hurried, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 And having seen Him, they made-known about the thing having been spoken to them about this Child. 18 And all the ones having heard it marveled about the things having been spoken to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary was preserving[bi] all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything which they heard and saw, just as it was spoken to them.
His Name Is Called Jesus
21 And when eight days were fulfilled that they might circumcise Him, His name was indeed called Jesus— the name having been named by the angel before[bj] He was conceived in the womb.
The Parents Bring Jesus To The Temple To Redeem Him Before The Lord
22 And when the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled[bk], they brought Him up to Jerusalem so as to present Him to the Lord 23 just as it has been written in the Law of the Lord [in Ex 13:2], that “every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”; 24 and that she might give a sacrifice in accordance with the thing having been said in the Law of the Lord [in Lev 12:8]: “a pair of turtledoves or two young ones of pigeons”.
Simeon Recognizes The Child As The Messiah, But a Sword Will Pierce Mary’s Soul
25 And behold— a man was in Jerusalem for whom the name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and reverent[bl], waiting-for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he would see the Christ of the Lord. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple. And at the parents bringing-in the child Jesus that they might do for Him according to the thing[bm] having become-a-custom from the Law, 28 he also took Him into his arms. And he blessed God, and said, 29 “Now You are releasing Your slave in peace in accordance with Your word, Master, 30 because my eyes saw Your salvation 31 which You prepared in the presence of all the peoples— 32 the light for the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel”. 33 And His father and mother were marveling at the things being spoken about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold— this One is appointed[bn] for[bo] the falling and rising of many in Israel, and for[bp] a sign being spoken-against[bq]— 35 and indeed a sword will pierce the soul of you yourself— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed”.
Anna The Prophet Thanks God For the Child
36 And there was Anna— a prophet, a daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. This one was advanced in her many days, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and herself being a widow up-to[br] eighty four years, who was not departing from the temple, serving[bs] night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 And having come-upon them at the very hour, she was returning-thanks to God, and was speaking about Him to all the ones waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Family Returns To Nazareth In Galilee
39 And when they finished all the things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee— to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child was growing and becoming strong, while being filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon Him.
In Jerusalem At Age Twelve, Jesus Stays Behind When His Parents Leave For Home
41 And His parents were going to Jerusalem yearly for the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve years old— they going up in accordance with the custom of the Feast, 43 and having completed the days— during their returning, the boy Jesus stayed-behind in Jerusalem. And His parents did not know it, 44 but having thought that He was in the caravan[bt], they went a day’s journey. And they were searching-for Him among the relatives and the acquaintances. 45 And not having found Him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching-for Him.
Jesus Is Found In The Temple Listening To And Questioning The Teachers
46 And it came about after three days that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening-to them and questioning them. 47 And all the ones listening-to Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers. 48 And having seen Him, they were astounded. And His mother said to Him, “Child, why did you do[bu] us like this? Behold— Your father and I were looking-for You, while suffering-pain”. 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking-for Me? Did you not know that I must be in[bv] the things of My[bw] Father? 50 And they did not understand the thing which He spoke to them. 51 And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was being subject to them. And His mother was keeping all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus was advancing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.
In The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius, John Is Sent Out By God
3 Now in the fifteenth[bx] year of the government of Tiberius[by] Caesar— Pontius Pilate[bz] being-governor of Judea, and Herod[ca] being-tetrarch[cb] of Galilee, and Philip[cc] his brother being tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in-the-time-of the high priest Annas and Caiaphas— the word of God came to[cd] John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
John Proclaims a Baptism of Repentance, In Fulfillment of Isaiah
3 And he went into all the surrounding-region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it has been written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet [in Isa 40:3-5], “A voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; be making His paths straight. 5 Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill will be made-low. And the crooked paths will become straight, and the rough will become smooth paths. 6 And all flesh will see the salvation of God’”. 7 Therefore he was saying to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers— who showed[ce] you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say within[cf] yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I say to you that God is able to raise-up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 And indeed the axe is already lying[cg] at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”.
The People Ask John What They Should Do To Produce Fruit Worthy of Repentance
10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “What then should we do?” 11 And having responded, he was saying to them, “Let the one having two tunics[ch] give to the one not having, and let the one having food be doing likewise”. 12 And tax collectors also came to be baptized. And they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 And the one said to them, “Be collecting nothing more than the amount having been commanded”. 14 And ones serving-as-soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “And us, what should we do?” And he said to them, “Do not violently-extort[ci] anyone, nor extort-with-false-charges. And be content with your wages[cj]”.
John Says One More Powerful Is Coming, Who Will Baptize With The Spirit And Fire
15 And while the populace was waiting-in-expectation and all were pondering in their hearts about John— if perhaps he might be the Christ— 16 John responded, saying to everyone, “I am baptizing you with[ck] water, but the One more powerful than me is coming, of Whom I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals. He will baptize you with[cl] the Holy Spirit and fire[cm]— 17 Whose winnowing-tool is in His hand so as to clean-out[cn] His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with an inextinguishable fire”. 18 So indeed, while also exhorting many other things, he was announcing-good-news-to the people.
Herod Locked Up John In Prison
19 But Herod the tetrarch— while being rebuked[co] by him concerning Herodias[cp], the wife of his brother, and concerning all the evil things which Herod did— 20 also added this to everything: he also locked-up John in prison.
Jesus Was Baptized When All The People Were Baptized
21 And it came about when[cq] all the people were baptized, Jesus also having been baptized and praying, that the heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in a bodily form like[cr] a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son. With You I was[cs] well-pleased”.
At About Age Thirty, Jesus Begins His Ministry
23 And Jesus Himself was, [when] beginning His ministry, about thirty years old, being a son, as it was being supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Aminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing