New Testament in a Year

²¹ Meanwhile, the people kept waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed in the sanctuary so long. ²² But when he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them but remained unable to speak. ²³ When the days of his service were over, he went home.

²⁴ After this,^[a] his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. She said, ²⁵ “This is what the Lord did for me when he looked favorably on me and took away my public disgrace.”

The Birth of Jesus is Foretold

²⁶ Now in the sixth month of her pregnancy,^[b] the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant^[c] of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel^[d] came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!”^{[e] 29} Startled by his statement, she tried to figure out what his greeting meant.

³⁰ Then the angel told her, “Stop being afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God. ³¹ Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen, since I have not had relations with^[f] a man?”

³⁵ The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will surround you. Therefore, the child will be holy and will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And listen! Elizabeth, your relative, has herself conceived a son in her old age, this woman who was rumored to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷ Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God’s promises.”

³⁸ Then Mary said, “Truly I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you have said happen to me.” Then the angel left her.