Luke 1:26–45

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel^h to Nazareth,ⁱ a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,^j a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,^k Mary; you have found favor with God.^{l 31}You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.^{m 32}He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.ⁿ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,^{o 33}and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom^p will never end.”^q

³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,^r and the power of the Most High^s will overshadow you. So the holy one^t to be born will be called^b the Son of God.^{u 36}Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child^v in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”^w

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,^{x 40}where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.^{y 42}In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,^z and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord^a should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”