THE BOOK OF LUKE

 

Luke Chapter 1

1 ¶ Inasmuch as many have undertaken to arrange in due order a narrative of those things that have taken place among us,

2 Just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning, and servants of the word, have delivered them to us;

3 It also seemed good to me, after having accurately traced everything from the start, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

4 So that you might know the exact truth about the things, that you have been taught.

5 ¶ Now there lived in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

7 And they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and they both were well along in years.

8 Now it so happened, that as he was serving as a priest before God while his division was on duty,

9 He was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

10 And when the time came for the incense, the crowd of worshippers were outside praying.

11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12 And when Zacharias saw the angel, he was startled, and gripped by fear.

13 But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias: for your prayer has been heard; and your wife Elisabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

14 And you will have joy and delight; and many will rejoice at his birth.

15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and will drink neither wine or strong drink; and he will be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, How can I believe this? for I am an old man, and my wife well along in years.

19 And in answer the angel said, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and have been sent to speak to you, and to tell you this good news.

20 And, now you will be mute, and unable to speak, until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at the proper time.

21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondered why he stayed in the temple so long.

22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he made signs to them, but remained speechless.

23 And as soon as he completed his time of service, he returned to his own home.

24 And after that his wife Elisabeth conceived, and remained in seclusion for five months, saying,

25 The Lord has done this for me in the days when he looked with favor upon me, to take away my reproach among men.

26 ¶ And 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 named Joseph, who was of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And coming into her home the angel said, Peace, favored one, the Lord is with you: and you are blessed among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was deeply troubled by what he said, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.

30 And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary: for you have found favor with God.

31 And, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will name him JESUS.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David:

33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and his kingdom will never end.

34 Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have never been intimate with a man?

35 And the angel said, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you: therefore the holy one who will be born of you will be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, your cousin Elisabeth, has also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month for her, who was said to be barren.

37 For with God nothing will be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it happen to me as you said. Then the angel left her.

39 ¶ And at that time Mary arose, and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah;

40 And entering the house of Zacharias, greeted Elisabeth.

41 And when Elisabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit:

42 And in a loud voice she exclaimed, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45 And blessed is she who has believed: for what was spoken to her from the Lord will be accomplished.

46 And Mary said, My soul glorifies the Lord,

47 And my spirit delights in God my Savior.

48 For he has been mindful of the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from this time forward all generations will call me blessed.

49 For the mighty one has done great things to me; whose name is holy.

50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He has put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted those of low degree.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful;

55 Even as he promised our fathers, to Abraham, and his seed forever.

56 And Mary stayed with her for about three months, and then returned to her home.

57 ¶ Now when the time came for Elisabeth to give birth; she brought forth a son.

58 And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown her mercy; and they rejoiced with her.

59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

60 But his mother said, No; he is to be called John.

61 And they said to her, There is no one among your relatives who has that name.

62 And they made signs to his father, to find out what he wanted him called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, His name is John. And they were all amazed.

64 And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he began speaking, and praising God.

65 And fear came on all those living around them: and all these things continued to be talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.

66 And everyone who heard kept thinking about them, asking, What sort of child will this be! And the Lord’s hand was with him.

67 ¶ And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he has visited and redeemed his people,

69 And has raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

70 As he foretold through the mouth of his holy prophets, from the time the world began:

71 That he would save us from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;

72 Remembering his holy covenant, and fulfilling the promise of mercy given to our fathers;

73 The oath that he swore to our father Abraham,

74 That he would grant us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him;

77 To give his people the knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; by which the breaking light from heaven has come down to us,

79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

  1. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his presentation to Israel.

[Note: Verse 27 Unlike our modern engagement, an espoused couple were legally man and wife, but remained celibate until the groom took his bride home to live with him, usually in a procession followed by a wedding feast.]