Luke 1:39–80

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹Soon afterwards Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea. ⁴⁰She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and said in a loud voice, “You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. ⁴⁵How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true!”

Mary’s Song of Praise

^46*Mary said,

“My heart praises the Lord;

^47*my soul is glad because of God my Saviour,

^48*for he has remembered me, his lowly servant!

From now on all people will call me happy,

^49*because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me.

His name is holy;

^50*from one generation to another

he shows mercy to those who honour him.

^51*He has stretched out his mighty arm

and scattered the proud with all their plans.

^52*He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly.

^53*He has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away with empty hands.

^54*He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors,

and has come to the help of his servant Israel.

^55*He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham

and to all his descendants for ever!”

⁵⁶Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbours and relatives heard how wonderfully good the Lord had been to her, and they all rejoiced with her.

^59*When the baby was a week old, they came to circumcise him, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. ⁶⁰But his mother said, “No! His name is to be John.”

⁶¹They said to her, “But you have no relatives with that name!” ⁶²Then they made signs to his father, asking him what name he would like the boy to have.

⁶³Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” How surprised they all were! ⁶⁴At that moment Zechariah was able to speak again, and he started praising God. ⁶⁵The neighbours were all filled with fear, and the news about these things spread through all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶Everyone who heard of it thought about it and asked, “What is this child going to be?” For it was plain that the Lord’s power was upon him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

⁶⁷John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he spoke God’s message:

⁶⁸“Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

He has come to the help of his people and has set them free.

⁶⁹He has provided for us a mighty Saviour,

a descendant of his servant David.

⁷⁰He promised through his holy prophets long ago

⁷¹that he would save us from our enemies,

from the power of all those who hate us.

⁷²He said he would show mercy to our ancestors

and remember his sacred covenant.

^73–74With a solemn oath to our ancestor Abraham

he promised to rescue us from our enemies

and allow us to serve him without fear,

⁷⁵so that we might be holy and righteous before him

all the days of our life.

^76*“You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God.

You will go ahead of the Lord

to prepare his road for him,

⁷⁷to tell his people that they will be saved

by having their sins forgiven.

⁷⁸Our God is merciful and tender.

He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us

^79*and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death,

to guide our steps into the path of peace.” ⁸⁰The child grew and developed in body and spirit. He lived in the desert until the day when he appeared publicly to the people of Israel.