| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, | 1Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. |
| 2just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word. | 2They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. |
| 3Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, | 3Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, |
| 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. | 4so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold |
| 5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. | 5When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. |
| 6Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord. | 6Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. |
| 7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years. | 7They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. |
| 8One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, | 8One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. |
| 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. | 9As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. |
| 10And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside. | 10While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. |
| 11Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. | 11While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. |
| 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. | 12Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. |
| 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. | 13But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. |
| 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, | 14You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, |
| 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. | 15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. |
| 16Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God. | 16And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. |
| 17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” | 17He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” |
| 18“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” | 18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” |
| 19“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. | 19Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! |
| 20And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” | 20But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” |
| 21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple. | 21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. |
| 22When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained speechless. | 22When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. |
| 23And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home. | 23When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. |
| 24After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared, | 24Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. |
| 25“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” | 25“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” The Birth of Jesus Foretold |
| 26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, | 26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, |
| 27to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. | 27to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. |
| 28The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” | 28Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ” |
| 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. | 29Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. |
| 30So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. | 30“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! |
| 31Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. | 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. |
| 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, | 32He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. |
| 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” | 33And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” |
| 34“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” | 34Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” |
| 35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. | 35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. |
| 36Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. | 36What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. |
| 37For no word from God will ever fail.” | 37For the word of God will never fail. ” |
| 38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her. | 38Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Mary Visits Elizabeth |
| 39In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, | 39A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town |
| 40where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. | 40where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. |
| 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. | 41At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. |
| 42In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! | 42Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. |
| 43And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? | 43Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? |
| 44For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. | 44When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. |
| 45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.” | 45You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise |
| 46Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, | 46Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. |
| 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! | 47How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! |
| 48For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. | 48For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. |
| 49For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name. | 49For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. |
| 50His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. | 50He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. |
| 51He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. | 51His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. |
| 52He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble. | 52He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. |
| 53He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. | 53He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. |
| 54He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful, | 54He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. |
| 55as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” | 55For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.” |
| 56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. | 56Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home. The Birth of John the Baptist |
| 57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. | 57When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. |
| 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. | 58And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her. |
| 59On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah. | 59When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. |
| 60But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.” | 60But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!” |
| 61They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.” | 61“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” |
| 62So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child. | 62So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. |
| 63Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. | 63He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” |
| 64Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God. | 64Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God. |
| 65All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events. | 65Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. |
| 66And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. | 66Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way. Zechariah’s Prophecy |
| 67Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: | 67Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: |
| 68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. | 68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. |
| 69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, | 69He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, |
| 70as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past, | 70just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. |
| 71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, | 71Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. |
| 72to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, | 72He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— |
| 73the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us | 73the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. |
| 74deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear, | 74We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, |
| 75in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. | 75in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. |
| 76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, | 76“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. |
| 77to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, | 77You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. |
| 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, | 78Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, |
| 79to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” | 79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” |
| 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel. | 80John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. |
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