 1 Having observed+ that many others have taken it upon themselves+ to set forth a declaration of those things that are most surely believed among us, 2 as those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word have delivered those things to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having diligently+ sought understanding of everything+ from the very first, to write to you an orderly+ account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you might know the certainty of those things in which you have been instructed. 5 Now there was, in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the course~ of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elisabeth~. 6 They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. 7 They had no child because Elisabeth was barren, and now they were both well advanced+ in years. 8 Now+ it came to pass, that while Zacharias executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course~, 9 according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 The whole multitude of the people were praying outside+ at the time of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zacharias saw this, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid Zacharias, for your prayer is heard. Your wife Elisabeth will bear a son to you and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will not drink either wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will go before the Lord 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 righteous+, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 Zacharias said to the angel: How+ can I understand+ this? For I am an old man and my wife is well advanced+ in years. 19 The angel answering said to him: I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. I am sent to speak to you and to show you these glad tidings. 20 And behold now you shall be speechless+ and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because you did not believe my words that surely will be fulfilled in their season. 21 Meanwhile the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he stayed+ so long in the temple. 22 Then when he came out he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he signaled+ to them, but remained speechless. 23 Now+ it came to pass that as soon as the days of his service+ were fulfilled+, he departed to his own house. 24 After those days his wife Elisabeth conceived and hid herself five months saying: 25 Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days in which He looked upon me to take away my reproach among men. 26 Meanwhile in Elisabeth's 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. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said: Hail, O highly favored~, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. 29 When Mary saw him, she was troubled by what he said and wondered+ in her mind what kind+ of greeting+ this might+ be. 30 The angel said to her: Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call His name Jesus~. Isaiah 7:14 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. Of His kingdom there will be no end. Isaiah 9:7 34 Then Mary said to the angel: How shall this be since+ I have not known+ a man? 35 The angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. And therefore, that Holy One+ who will be born of you shall 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 with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing~ will be impossible. 38 Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. 39 Then Mary arose in those days and went with haste into the hill country to a city of Judah. 40 She entered the house of Zacharias and greeted+ Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass that when Elisabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe in her womb leaped and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said: Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 Why has this honor come to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, as soon as the voice of your greeting+ sounded in my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a performance of those things that were told to her from the Lord. 46 Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord. 47 My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things to me. Holy is His name. 50 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 He has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped+ His servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy, 55 as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever. 56 Mary stayed+ with Elisabeth about three months and then returned to her own house. 57 Now Elisabeth fulfilled+ the time in which+ she should give birth+ and she brought forth a son. 58 Her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown great mercy upon her and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass that 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 answered and said: No. He shall be called John. 61 They said to her: But there is no one in your family+ who is called by this name, 62 and they made signs to his father asking what he would have the child called. 63 Zacharias asked for a writing table and wrote saying: His name is John. And they all marveled. 64 Immediately, his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke and praised God. 65 Fear came upon all who lived+ around+ them and all these things+ were reported+ throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard these things laid them up in their hearts saying: What kind+ of child will this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 Now John's father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying: 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, 70 just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been with us since the world began, 71 so that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant~. 73 Remember the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, 74 that He would grant deliverance to us so that we, by 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 Then Zacharias said: You, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest. For you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins 78 through the tender mercy of our God from whom the Dayspring from on high has visited us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of his showing to Israel.
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