1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled^a among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first^a were eyewitnesses^b and servants of the word.^c ³With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account^d for you, most excellent^e Theophilus,^f ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.^g

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea^h there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;ⁱ his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.^j ⁷But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

⁸Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,^k ⁹he was chosen by lot,^l according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.^m ¹⁰And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.ⁿ

¹¹Then an angel^o of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.^p ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.^q ¹³But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,^r Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.^s ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,^t ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,^u and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit^v even before he is born.^w ¹⁶He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord,^x in the spirit and power of Elijah,^y to turn the hearts of the parents to their children^z and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”^a

Read in Logos

Luke 1:4: … that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Footnotes

aOr been surely believed

Cross references

a Mk 1:1; Jn 15:27; Ac 1:21, 22
b Heb 2:3; 1 Pe 5:1; 2 Pe 1:16; 1 Jn 1:1
cSee Mk 4:14
d Ac 11:4
e Ac 24:3; 26:25
f Ac 1:1
g Jn 20:31; Ac 2:42
h Mt 2:1
i 1 Ch 24:10
j Ge 6:9; Dt 5:33; 1 Ki 9:4; Lk 2:25
k 1 Ch 24:19; 2 Ch 8:14
l Ac 1:26
m Ex 30:7, 8; 1 Ch 23:13; 2 Ch 29:11; Ps 141:2
n Lev 16:17
oSee Ac 5:19
p Ex 30:1–10
q Jdg 6:22, 23; 13:22
rver 30; See Mt 14:27
sver 60, 63; See Mt 3:1
tver 58
u Nu 6:3; Lev 10:9; Jdg 13:4; Lk 7:33
vver 41, 67; Ac 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3, 5; 9:17; 11:24; Eph 5:18; See Ac 10:44
w Jer 1:5; Gal 1:15
xver 76
ySee Mt 11:14
z Mal 4:5, 6
aSee Mt 3:3