Chapter Overview Key ideas, context & where Christ is 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us ,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us ,
3 it seemed good to me also , having followed all things closely for some time past , to write an orderly account for you , most excellent Theophilus ,
4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught .
5 In the days of Herod , king of Judea , there was a priest named Zechariah , of the division of Abijah . And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron , and her name was Elizabeth .
6 And they were both righteous before God , walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord .
7 But they had no child , because Elizabeth was barren , and both were advanced in years .
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty ,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood , he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense .
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense .
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense .
12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him , and fear fell upon him .
13 But the angel said to him , “Do not be afraid , Zechariah , for your prayer has been heard , and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son , 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 before the Lord . And he must not drink wine or strong drink , and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit , 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 for the Lord a people prepared .”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel , “How shall I know this ? For I am an old man , and my wife is advanced in years .”
19 And the angel answered him , “I am Gabriel . I stand in the presence of God , and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news .
20 And behold , you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place , because you did not believe my words , which will be fulfilled in their time .”
21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah , and they were wondering at his delay in the temple .
22 And when he came out , he was unable to speak to them , and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple . And he kept making signs to them and remained mute .
23 And when his time of service was ended , he went to his home .
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived , and for five months she kept herself hidden , saying ,
25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me , to take away my reproach among people .”
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth ,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph , of the house of David . And the virgin ’s name was Mary .
28 And he came to her and said , “Greetings , O favored one , the Lord is with you !”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying , and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be .
30 And the angel said to her , “Do not be afraid , Mary , for you have found favor with God .
31 And behold , you will conceive in your womb and bear a son , and you shall call his name Jesus .
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High . 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 of his kingdom there will be no end .”
34 And Mary said to the angel , “How will this be , since I am a virgin ?”
35 And the angel answered her , “The Holy Spirit will come upon you , and the power of the Most High will overshadow you ; therefore the child to be born will be called holy —the Son of God .
36 And behold , your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son , and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren .
37 For nothing will be impossible with God .”
38 And Mary said , “Behold , I am the servant of the Lord ; let it be to me according to your word .” And the angel departed from her .
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country , to a town in Judah ,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth .
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary , the baby leaped in her womb . And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry , “Blessed are you among women , and blessed is the fruit of your womb !
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me ?
44 For behold , when the sound of your greeting came to my ears , the baby in my womb leaped for joy .
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord .”
46 And Mary said , “My soul magnifies the Lord ,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant . For behold , from now on all generations will call me blessed ;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me , and holy is his name .
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation .
51 He has shown strength with his arm ; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts ;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate ;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things , and the rich he has sent 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 offspring forever .”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home .
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth , and she bore a son .
58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her , and they rejoiced with her .
59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child . And they would have called him Zechariah after his father ,
60 but his mother answered , “No ; he shall be called John .”
61 And they said to her , “None of your relatives is called by this name .”
62 And they made signs to his father , inquiring what he wanted him to be called .
63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote , “His name is John .” And they all wondered .
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed , and he spoke , blessing God .
65 And fear came on all their neighbors . And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea ,
66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts , saying , “What then will this child be ?” For the hand of the Lord was with him .
67 And his father Zechariah 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 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David ,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old ,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us ;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant ,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham , to grant us
74 that we , being delivered from the hand of our enemies , might serve him without fear ,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days .
76 And you , child , will be called the prophet of the Most High ; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways ,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins ,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God , whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
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 .”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit , and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel .
Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.