Lucas 1

Dedication to Theophilus

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that *2 Tim. 4:5,17(Gk.);[Acts 3:18]have been accomplished among us, 2 *[Heb. 2:3] just as those who *John 15:27;16:4;[Mark 1:1;Acts 11:15] from the beginning were *2 Pet. 1:16;1 John 1:1,3;[Acts 4:20;1 Pet. 5:1] eyewitnesses and *Acts 26:16;1 Cor. 4:1ministers of *See Mark 4:14the word *1 Cor. 11:2,23have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write *Acts 11:4an orderly account for you, *Acts 23:26;24:3;26:25most excellent *Acts 1:1Theophilus, 4 that you may have *Acts 2:36(Gk.);[2 Pet. 1:16,19] certainty concerning the things *Acts 18:25;Rom. 2:18;1 Cor. 14:19;Gal. 6:6(Gk.)you have been taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 *Matt. 2:1In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,*1:5 Greek Zacharias*1 Chr. 24:10of *ver. 8the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both *ch. 2:25righteous before God, walking *Phil. 2:15;3:6;1 Thess. 2:10;3:13;5:23;[Acts 23:1;24:16]blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because *ver. 36;[Judg. 13:2;1 Sam. 1:2] Elizabeth was barren, and *[Gen. 18:11;Heb. 11:11,12]both were advanced in years.

8 Now *1 Chr. 24:19;2 Chr. 8:14;31:2;[ver. 23] while he was serving as priest before God when *ver. 5his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot *Ex. 30:7,8;1 Sam. 2:28;1 Chr. 23:13;2 Chr. 29:11to enter *ver. 21, 22;Rev. 11:2,19;[Heb. 9:2,3]the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people *Ps. 141:2;[Rev. 5:8;8:3,4] were praying *[Lev. 16:17]outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of *Ex. 30:1-10;40:26,27the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and *Acts 19:17fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for *[Acts 10:4,31] your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and *ver. 60, 63you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will *[ver. 58]rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be *ch. 7:28;Matt. 11:11great before the Lord. And *ch. 7:33;Num. 6:3;Judg. 13:4,7,14;Matt. 11:18he must not drink wine or strong *[Acts 2:15,17;Eph. 5:18] drink, and *[Acts 2:15,17;Eph. 5:18] he will be *ver. 41, 67;See Acts 2:4filled with the Holy Spirit, *Isa. 49:1,5;Jer. 1:5;Gal. 1:15even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and *ver. 76;John 3:28he will go before him *See Matt. 11:14in the spirit and power of Elijah, *Cited from Mal. 4:6to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and *Rom. 10:21the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, *ch. 7:27;Mal. 3:1;Matt. 11:10;Mark 1:2to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, *Gen. 15:8;[Gen. 17:17]"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 *ver. 26;Dan. 8:16;9:21Gabriel. *Rev. 8:2;[1 Kgs. 17:1;Job 1:6;Isa. 63:9;Matt. 18:10]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, *[Ezek. 3:26;24:27]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 *See ver. 9the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in *[See ver. 21above] the temple. And *ver. 62he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And *2 Chr. 23:8;[ver. 8; 2 Kgs. 11:5;1 Chr. 9:25] when his time of *Heb. 10:11service 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, *[Gen. 30:23;1 Sam. 1:6;Ps. 113:9;Isa. 4:1]to take away my reproach among people."

Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel *ver. 19Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named *See Matt. 2:23Nazareth, 27 *Matt. 1:16,18to a virgin betrothed*1:27 That is, legally pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, *ch. 2:4;Matt. 1:20of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, *[Ps. 45:2;Dan. 9:23] O favored one, *Judg. 6:12the Lord is with you!"*1:28 Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women!29 But *See ver. 12she 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 *Acts 7:46you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, *Isa. 7:14you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and *ch. 2:21;Matt. 1:21,25you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of *ver. 76;ch. 6:35;Acts 7:48;See Mark 5:7the Most High. And the Lord God *ver. 69;2 Sam. 7:11-13,16;Ps. 89:4;132:11;Isa. 9:6,7;16:5;Acts 2:30;[Rev. 3:7] will give to him the throne of *See Matt. 1:1his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob *Dan. 2:44;7:14,18,27;Heb. 1:8;Rev. 11:15;[John 12:34]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?"*1:34 Greek since I do not know a man

35 And the angel answered her, *Matt. 1:18,20"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of *[See ver. 32above] the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born*1:35 Some manuscripts add of you will be called *John 6:69holy—*See Matt. 14:33the 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 *ver. 7who was called barren. 37 For *Cited from Gen. 18:14(Gk.);See Matt. 19:26nothing will be impossible with God." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant*1:38 Greek bondservant; also verse 48 of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And *[Judg. 6:21;Acts 12:10]the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into *ver. 65;Josh. 20:7;21:11the 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 *ver. 15, 67was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, *[Judg. 5:24] "Blessed are you among women, and *[Deut. 28:4] blessed is *Ps. 127:3the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of *ch. 20:42;John 20:28;[ch. 2:11]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 *John 20:29;[ver. 20]blessed is she who believed that there would be*1:45 Or believed, for there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said,

*For ver. 46-53, [1 Sam. 2:1-10] "My *1 Thess. 5:23soul *Ps. 34:2,3;69:30;Acts 10:46;19:17magnifies the Lord,

47 *Ps. 35:9;Isa. 61:10;Hab. 3:18;[Acts 16:34] and my *[See ver. 46above] spirit rejoices in *Ps. 106:21;1 Tim. 1:1;2:3;Titus 1:3;2:10;3:4;Jude 25;[2 Tim. 1:9]God my Savior,

48 for *1 Sam. 1:11;Ps. 138:6;[ch. 9:38] he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations *ch. 11:27;Ps. 72:17;[Mal. 3:12]will call me blessed;

49 for *Ps. 89:8;Zeph. 3:17he who is mighty *Ps. 71:19;126:2,3has done great things for me,

and *Ps. 99:3;111:9;Isa. 57:15holy is his name.

50 And *Deut. 5:10;7:9;Ps. 89:1,2;103:17his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

51 *Ps. 89:10;98:1;118:16;Isa. 51:9He has shown strength with his arm;

*Dan. 4:37;See James 4:6he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

52 *[See ver. 51above] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

*Job 5:11;Ps. 75:7;107:40,41;113:7,8;147:6;Ezek. 21:26;[James 4:10]and exalted those of humble estate;

53 he has filled *Ps. 34:10;107:9;[ch. 6:21, 24, 25] the hungry with good things,

and the rich *Job 22:9he has sent away empty.

54 He has *Isa. 41:8,9;Heb. 2:16helped *Isa. 44:21;49:3his servant Israel,

*Ps. 98:3;Mic. 7:20;[ver. 72, 73]in remembrance of his mercy,

55 *Gen. 17:19;Ps. 132:11;Gal. 3:16as he spoke to our fathers,

*[See ver. 54above]to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

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 *Gen. 19:19had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And *ch. 2:21;Gen. 17:12;Lev. 12:3;Phil. 3:5on 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; *ver. 13he shall be called John." 61 And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." 62 And *ver. 22they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for *Isa. 8:1;30:8a writing tablet and wrote, *[See ver. 60above]"His name is John." And they all wondered. 64 *ver. 20And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue *Mark 7:35loosed, and he spoke, *ch. 2:28;24:53blessing God. 65 And *ch. 7:16fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all *See ver. 39the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them *[ch. 2:19,51] laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For *Acts 11:21;13:11the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zechariah *ver. 15, 41was filled with the Holy Spirit and *Joel 2:28prophesied, saying,

68 *1 Kgs. 1:48;1 Chr. 29:10;Ezra 7:27;Ps. 41:13;72:18;106:48"Blessed be the Lord *Isa. 29:23;Matt. 15:31;Acts 13:17God of Israel,

for he has *ch. 7:16;Ex. 4:31;[ver. 78;Acts 15:14;Heb. 2:6] visited and *ch. 2:38;Ps. 111:9;130:7,8;[ch. 24:21;Isa. 43:1;59:20]redeemed his people

69 and *1 Sam. 2:1,10;Ps. 132:17;Ezek. 29:21has raised up *2 Sam. 22:3;Ps. 18:2a horn of salvation for us

*ver. 32in the house of his servant David,

70 *Rom. 1:2;[Jer. 23:5,6] as *Acts 3:21he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 *Ps. 106:10that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us;

72 *Mic. 7:20to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and *Lev. 26:42;Ps. 105:8,9;[ver. 54, 55] to remember his holy *See Rom. 9:4covenant,

73 *Gen. 22:16-18;26:3;Heb. 6:13,14the 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 *Zeph. 3:15without fear,

75 *Eph. 4:24;[1 Thess. 2:10;Titus 2:12] in holiness and righteousness before him *[Jer. 32:39(Heb.);Matt. 28:20(Gk.)]all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called *ch. 7:26;20:6;Matt. 11:9;14:5the prophet of *See ver. 32the Most High;

for *ver. 17;ch. 3:4;7:27;Mal. 3:1;Matt. 3:3;Mark 1:2,3you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people

*[Matt. 26:28;Mark 1:4]in the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the *Col. 3:12(Gk.)tender mercy of our God,

whereby *Mal. 4:2;Eph. 5:14;2 Pet. 1:19the sunrise shall *See ver. 68visit us*1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us*ch. 24:49from on high

79 to *Isa. 9:2;Matt. 4:16;[Acts 26:18]; See John 8:12give light to *Ps. 107:10;Isa. 42:7those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into *Rom. 3:17the way of *See ch. 2:14peace."

80 *ch. 2:40And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was *Matt. 3:1;11:7in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.