The Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 1 Forasmuch as many have taken in
hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning
were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it 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, that thou mightest know the certainty of
those things wherein thou hast been instructed.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named
Zacharias, of the course of Abiah, and his wife was of the daughters of
Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless.
And they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were
now well stricken in years.
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in
the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office,
his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of
the altar of incense.
And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard,
and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For 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.
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God,
and 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.
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
And 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 show thee these glad tidings.
And 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.
And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in
the temple.
And 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.
And it came to pass, that as soon as the days of his ministration were
accomplished, he departed to his own house.
And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months,
saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me,
to take away my reproach among men.
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly
favored!
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what
manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name Jesus.
He 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.
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be
no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a
man?
And 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.
And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old
age.
And this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it unto me according to thy word.
And the angel departed from her.
And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste,
into a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth.
And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe
leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears,
the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those
things which were told her from the Lord.
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God
my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him, from generation to generation.
He hath showed strength with his arm.
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty
away.
He hath holpen his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, as he spake to
our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth
a son.
And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon
her, and they rejoiced with her.
And 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.
And his mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John.
And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
And they made signs to his father how he would have him called.
And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.
And they marveled all.
And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and
praised God.
And fear came on all that dwelt round about them.
And all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.
And 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.
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied,
saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his
people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his
servant David, as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since
the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all
that hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember
his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant
unto us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him
without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of
our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go
before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto
his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the
day of his showing unto Israel.