Luke 1:1 - 80
1Forasmuch
as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a
declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us,
2Even as they
delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were
eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3It seemed good
to me also, having had perfect understanding of all
things from the very first, to write unto thee in order,
most excellent Theophilus,
4That thou
mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou
hast been instructed.
5THERE was in the
days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named
Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6And they were
both righteous before God, walking in all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7And they had no
child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both
were now well stricken in years.
8And it came to
pass, that while he executed the priest's office before
God in the order of his course,
9According to the
custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn
incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10And the whole
multitude of the people were praying without at the time
of incense.
11And there
appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the
right side of the altar of incense.
12And when
Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon
him.
13But the angel
said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is
heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and
thou shalt call his name John.
14And thou shalt
have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his
birth.
15For he shall be
great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16And many of the
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17And he shall go
before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.
18And Zacharias
said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am
an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19And the angel
answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to
shew thee these glad tidings.
20And, behold,
thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day
that these things shall be performed, because thou
believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their
season.
21And the people
waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so
long in the temple.
22And when he
came out, he could not speak unto them: and they
perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he
beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23And it came to
pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were
accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24And after those
days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five
months, saying,
25Thus hath the
Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me,
to take away my reproach among men.
26And in the
sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a
city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27To a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28And the angel
came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly
favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women.
29And when she
saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her
mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30And the angel
said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour
with God.
31And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call his name JESUS.
32He shall be
great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David:
33And he shall
reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end.
34Then said Mary
unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a
man?
35And the angel
answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36And, behold,
thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in
her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who
was called barren.
37For with God
nothing shall be impossible.
38And Mary said,
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according
to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39And Mary arose
in those days, and went into the hill country with haste,
into a city of Juda;
40And entered
into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41And it came to
pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled
with the Holy Ghost:
42And she spake
out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43And whence is
this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44For, lo, as
soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears,
the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45And blessed is
she that believed: for there shall be a performance of
those things which were told her from the Lord.
46And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47And my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48For he hath
regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold,
from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49For he that is
mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his
name.
50And his mercy
is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51He hath shewed
strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts.
52He hath put
down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low
degree.
53He hath filled
the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away.
54He hath helped
his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55As he spake to
our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56And Mary abode
with her about three months, and returned to her own
house.
57Now Elisabeth's
full time came that she should be delivered; and she
brought forth a son.
58And her
neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed
great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59And 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.
60And his mother
answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61And they said
unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by
this name.
62And they made
signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63And he asked
for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.
And they marvelled all.
64And his mouth
was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he
spake, and praised God.
65And fear came
on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings
were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of
Judaea.
66And all they
that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying,
What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the
Lord was with him.
67And his father
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied,
saying,
68Blessed be the
Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his
people,
69And hath raised
up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his
servant David;
70As he spake by
the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the
world began:
71That we should
be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that
hate us;
72To perform the
mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy
covenant;
73The oath which
he sware to our father Abraham,
74That he would
grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of
our enemies might serve him without fear,
75In holiness and
righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76And thou,
child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for
thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his
ways;
77To give
knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission
of their sins,
78Through the
tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on
high hath visited us,
79To give light
to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80And the child
grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts
till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
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