The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea
there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of
Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were
righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees
blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to
conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was
on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot,
according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord
and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the
assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared
to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.12 When Zechariah
saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him: “Do not
be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear
you a son, and you are to call him John.
14 He will be a joy and delight to
you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the
sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,and he
will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
16 He will bring back many of the
people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord,
in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their
children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a
people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can
I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am
Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you
and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to
speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which
will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting
for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.22 When he came
out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the
temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was
completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant
and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,”
she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace
among the people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s
pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,27 to a
virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The
virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who
are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his
words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said
to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will
conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.32 He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants
forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the
angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy
Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So
the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth
your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to
be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever
fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary
answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and
hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered
Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s
greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But
why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon
as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for
joy.
45 Blessed is she who has believed
that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
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