1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled "among us,2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.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."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 "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.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!"46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors."56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,60 but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."61 They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John."64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.69 He has raised up a horn "of salvation for us in the house of his servant David70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us —72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit "; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

1 اذ كان كثيرون قد اخذوا بتاليف قصة في الامور المتيقنة عندنا2 كما سلمها الينا الذين كانوا منذ البدء معاينين وخداما للكلمة3 رأيت انا ايضا اذ قد تتبعت كل شيء من الاول بتدقيق ان اكتب على التوالي اليك ايها العزيز ثاوفيلس4 لتعرف صحة الكلام الذي علّمت به5 كان في ايام هيرودس ملك اليهودية كاهن اسمه زكريا من فرقة ابيا وامرأته من بنات هرون واسمها اليصابات.6 وكانا كلاهما بارين امام الله سالكين في جميع وصايا الرب واحكامه بلا لوم.7 ولم يكن لهما ولد اذ كانت اليصابات عاقرا وكانا كلاهما متقدمين في أيامهما8 فبينما هو يكهن في نوبة فرقته امام الله9 حسب عادة الكهنوت اصابته القرعة ان يدخل الى هيكل الرب ويبخر.10 وكان كل جمهور الشعب يصلّون خارجا وقت البخور.11 فظهر له ملاك الرب واقفا عن يمين مذبح البخور.12 فلما رآه زكريا اضطرب ووقع عليه خوف.13 فقال له الملاك لا تخف يا زكريا لان طلبتك قد سمعت وامرأتك اليصابات ستلد لك ابنا وتسميه يوحنا.14 ويكون لك فرح وابتهاج وكثيرون سيفرحون بولادته.15 لانه يكون عظيما امام الرب وخمرا ومسكرا لا يشرب. ومن بطن امه يمتلئ من الروح القدس.16 ويرد كثيرين من بني اسرائيل الى الرب الههم.17 ويتقدم امامه بروح ايليا وقوته ليرد قلوب الآباء الى الابناء والعصاة الى فكر الابرار لكي يهيئ للرب شعبا مستعدا.18 فقال زكريا للملاك كيف اعلم هذا لاني انا شيخ وامرأتي متقدمة في ايامها.19 فاجاب الملاك وقال له انا جبرائيل الواقف قدام الله وأرسلت لاكلمك وابشرك بهذا.20 وها انت تكون صامتا ولا تقدر ان تتكلم الى اليوم الذي يكون فيه هذا لانك لم تصدق كلامي الذي سيتم في وقته.21 وكان الشعب منتظرين زكريا ومتعجبين من ابطائه في الهيكل.22 فلما خرج لم يستطع ان يكلمهم ففهموا انه قد رأى رؤيا في الهيكل. فكان يومئ اليهم وبقي صامتا23 ولما كملت ايام خدمته مضى الى بيته.24 وبعد تلك الايام حبلت اليصابات امرأته واخفت نفسها خمسة اشهر قائلة25 هكذا قد فعل بي الرب في الايام التي فيها نظر اليّ لينزع عاري بين الناس26 وفي الشهر السادس أرسل جبرائيل الملاك من الله الى مدينة من الجليل اسمها ناصرة27 الى عذراء مخطوبة لرجل من بيت داود اسمه يوسف. واسم العذراء مريم.28 فدخل اليها الملاك وقال سلام لك ايتها المنعم عليها. الرب معك مباركة انت في النساء.29 فلما رأته اضطربت من كلامه وفكرت ما عسى ان تكون هذه التحية.30 فقال لها الملاك لا تخافي يا مريم لانك قد وجدت نعمة عند الله.31 وها انت ستحبلين وتلدين ابنا وتسمينه يسوع.32 هذا يكون عظيما وابن العلي يدعى ويعطيه الرب الاله كرسي داود ابيه.33 ويملك على بيت يعقوب الى الابد ولا يكون لملكه نهاية34 فقالت مريم للملاك كيف يكون هذا وانا لست اعرف رجلا.35 فاجاب الملاك وقال لها. الروح القدس يحل عليك وقوة العلي تظللك فلذلك ايضا القدوس المولود منك يدعى ابن الله.36 وهوذا اليصابات نسيبتك هي ايضا حبلى بابن في شيخوختها وهذا هو الشهر السادس لتلك المدعوة عاقرا.37 لانه ليس شيء غير ممكن لدى الله.38 فقالت مريم هوذا انا أمة الرب. ليكن لي كقولك. فمضى من عندها الملاك39 فقامت مريم في تلك الايام وذهبت بسرعة الى الجبال الى مدينة يهوذا.40 ودخلت بيت زكريا وسلمت على اليصابات.41 فلما سمعت اليصابات سلام مريم ارتكض الجنين في بطنها. وامتلأت اليصابات من الروح القدس.42 وصرخت بصوت عظيم وقالت مباركة انت في النساء ومباركة هي ثمرة بطنك.43 فمن اين لي هذا ان تأتي ام ربي اليّ.44 فهوذا حين صار صوت سلامك في اذنيّ ارتكض الجنين بابتهاج في بطني.45 فطوبى للتي آمنت ان يتم ما قيل لها من قبل الرب46 فقالت مريم تعظم نفسي الرب47 وتبتهج روحي بالله مخلّصي.48 لانه نظر الى اتضاع امته. فهوذا منذ الآن جميع الاجيال تطوبني.49 لان القدير صنع بي عظائم واسمه قدوس.50 ورحمته الى جيل الاجيال للذين يتقونه.51 صنع قوة بذراعه. شتّت المستكبرين بفكر قلوبهم.52 أنزل الاعزاء عن الكراسي ورفع المتضعين.53 اشبع الجياع خيرات وصرف الاغنياء فارغين.54 عضد اسرائيل فتاه ليذكر رحمة.55 كما كلم آباءنا. لابراهيم ونسله الى الابد.56 فمكثت مريم عندها نحو ثلاثة اشهر ثم رجعت الى بيتها57 واما اليصابات فتم زمانها لتلد فولدت ابنا.58 وسمع جيرانها واقرباؤها ان الرب عظّم رحمته لها ففرحوا معها.59 وفي اليوم الثامن جاءوا ليختنوا الصبي وسموه باسم ابيه زكريا.60 فاجابت امه وقالت لا بل يسمى يوحنا.61 فقالوا لها ليس احد في عشيرتك تسمى بهذا الاسم.62 ثم اومأوا الى ابيه ماذا يريد ان يسمى.63 فطلب لوحا وكتب قائلا اسمه يوحنا. فتعجب الجميع.64 وفي الحال انفتح فمه ولسانه وتكلم وبارك الله.65 فوقع خوف على كل جيرانهم. وتحدّث بهذه الأمور جميعها في كل جبال اليهودية.66 فاودعها جميع السامعين في قلوبهم قائلين اترى ماذا يكون هذا الصبي. وكانت يد الرب معه67 وامتلأ زكريا ابوه من الروح القدس وتنبأ قائلا68 مبارك الرب اله اسرائيل لانه افتقد وصنع فداء لشعبه.69 واقام لنا قرن خلاص في بيت داود فتاه.70 كما تكلم بفم انبيائه القديسين الذين هم منذ الدهر.71 خلاص من اعدائنا ومن ايدي جميع مبغضينا.72 ليصنع رحمة مع آبائنا ويذكر عهده المقدس.73 القسم الذي حلف لابراهيم ابينا74 ان يعطينا اننا بلا خوف منقذين من ايدي اعدائنا نعبده75 بقداسة وبر قدامه جميع ايام حياتنا.76 وانت ايها الصبي نبي العلي تدعى لانك تتقدم امام وجه الرب لتعدّ طرقه.77 لتعطي شعبه معرفة الخلاص بمغفرة خطاياهم78 باحشاء رحمة الهنا التي بها افتقدنا المشرق من العلاء.79 ليضيء على الجالسين في الظلمة وظلال الموت لكي يهدي اقدامنا في طريق السلام.80 اما الصبي فكان ينمو ويتقوى بالروح وكان في البراري الى يوم ظهوره لاسرائيل