Luke 1:21–37

²¹During that time, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out. They wondered why he stayed in the temple so long. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple. They knew this because he kept motioning to them. He still could not speak.

²³When his time of service was over, he returned home. ²⁴After that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She stayed at home for five months. ²⁵“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days, he has been kind to me. He has taken away my shame among the people.”

The Coming Birth of Jesus

²⁶In the sixth month after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. ²⁷He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel greeted her and said, “The Lord has given you special favor. He is with you.”

²⁹Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. ³¹You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. ³³He will rule forever over his people, who came from Jacob’s family. His kingdom will never end.”

³⁴“How can this happen?” Mary asked the angel. “I am a virgin.”

³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Your relative Elizabeth is old. And even she is going to have a child. People thought she could not have children. But she has been pregnant for six months now. ³⁷Nothing is impossible with God.”