Luke 1:24–2:35

24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she 1kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying,

25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to atake away my disgrace among men.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel aGabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called bNazareth,

27 to aa virgin 1engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, bof the 2descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was 3Mary.

28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, 1favored one! The Lord 2is with you.”

29 But she awas very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

30 The angel said to her, “aDo 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 ashall name Him Jesus.

32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of athe Most High; and the Lord God will give Him bthe throne of His father David;

33 aand He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, band His kingdom will have no end.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How 1can this be, since I 2am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered and said to her, “aThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of bthe Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason cthe 1holy Child shall be called dthe Son of God.

36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and 1she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 “For 1anothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And 1Mary said, “Behold, the 2bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now 1at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to athe hill country, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was afilled with the Holy Spirit.

42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 “And 1how has it happened to me, that the mother of amy Lord would come to me?

44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

45 “And ablessed is she who 1believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her 2by the Lord.”

The Magnificat

46 And Mary said:

“aMy soul 1bexalts the Lord,

47 And amy spirit has rejoiced in bGod my Savior.

48 “For aHe has had regard for the humble state of His 1bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me bblessed.

49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 “aAnd His mercy is 1upon generation after generation

Toward those who fear Him.

51 “aHe has done 1mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the 2thoughts of their heart.

52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has aexalted those who were humble.

53 “aHe has filled the hungry with good things;

And sent away the rich empty-handed.

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

1In remembrance of His mercy,

55 aAs He spoke to our fathers,

bTo Abraham and his 1descendants forever.”

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

John Is Born

57 Now the time 1had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had 1adisplayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on athe eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, 1after his father.

60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but ahe shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 And they amade signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “aHis name is John.” And they were all astonished.

64 aAnd at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.

65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all athe hill country of Judea.

66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For athe hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zacharias awas filled with the Holy Spirit, and bprophesied, saying:

68 “aBlessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished bredemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a ahorn of salvation for us

In the house of David bHis servant—

70 aAs He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets bfrom of old—

71 1aSalvation bfrom our enemies,

And from the hand of all who hate us;

72 aTo show mercy toward our fathers,

bAnd to remember His holy covenant,

73 aThe oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75 aIn holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 “And you, child, will be called the aprophet of bthe Most High;

For you will go on cbefore the Lord to dprepare His ways;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

1By athe forgiveness of their sins,

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which athe Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 aTo shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

To guide our feet into the bway of peace.”

80 aAnd the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Chapter 2

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

1 Now in those days a decree went out from aCaesar Augustus, that a census be taken of ball 1the inhabited earth.

2 1This was the first census taken while 2Quirinius was governor of aSyria.

3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because ahe was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 And she agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a 1manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And aan angel of the Lord suddenly bstood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, “aDo not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a aSavior, who is 1bChrist cthe Lord.

12 “aThis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a 1manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “aGlory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men 1bwith whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the 1manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary atreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds went back, aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

21 And when aeight days had passed, 1before His circumcision, bHis name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 aAnd when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “aEvery firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “aA pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was arighteous and devout, blooking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And ait had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not bsee death before he had seen the Lord’s 1Christ.

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, 1ato carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

aAccording to Your word;

30 For my eyes have aseen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 aA Light 1of revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and amother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary aHis mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for bthe fall and 1rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”