Old/New Testament
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered that he was so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them, whereby they perceived that he had seen some vision in the temple. And he gestured to them and remained speechless.
23 And eventually, as soon as the time of his ministration was up, he departed home to his own house. 24 And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus has God dealt with me in the days when he looked on me, to take from me the disgrace that I suffered among men.
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel went in to her and said, Hail, thou full of grace! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.
29 When she saw him, she was bewildered at his words, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this could be. 30 And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God. 31 Lo, you shall conceive in your womb, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give to him the seat of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary to the angel, How will this be, seeing I do not know a man?
35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also, that holy thing which will be born of you will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold: your cousin Elizabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is her sixth month, though she be called barren. 37 For with God, nothing is impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaiden of the Lord! Be it unto me even as you have said.
And the angel departed from her.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.