| English Standard Version | International Standard Version |
| 1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, | 1Since many people have attempted to write an orderly account of the events that have transpired among us, |
| 2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, | 2just as they were passed down to us by those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning, |
| 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, | 3I, too, have carefully investigated everything from the beginning and have decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, |
| 4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. | 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. |
| 5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. | 5During the reign of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. |
| 6And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. | 6Both of them were righteous before God, having lived blamelessly according to all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord. |
| 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. | 7They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and because both of them were getting old. |
| 8Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, | 8When Zechariah was serving with his division of priests in God's presence, |
| 9according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. | 9he was chosen by lot to go into the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense, according to the custom of the priests. |
| 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. | 10And the entire congregation of people was praying outside at the time when the incense was burned. |
| 11And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. | 11An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the incense altar. |
| 12And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. | 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled, and fear overwhelmed him. |
| 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. | 13But the angel told him, "Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John. |
| 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, | 14You will have great joy, and many people will rejoice at his birth, |
| 15for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. | 15because he will be great in the Lord's presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. |
| 16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, | 16He will bring many of Israel's descendants back to the Lord their God. |
| 17and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” | 17He is the one who will go before the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord." |
| 18And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” | 18Then Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?" |
| 19And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. | 19The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you. |
| 20And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” | 20But because you did not believe my announcement, which will be fulfilled at its proper time, you will become silent and unable to speak until the day this happens." |
| 21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. | 21Meanwhile, the people kept waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed in the sanctuary so long. |
| 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. | 22But when he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them but remained unable to speak. |
| 23And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. | 23When the days of his service were over, he went home. |
| 24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, | 24After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. She said, |
| 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” | 25"This is what the Lord did for me when he looked favorably on me and took away my public disgrace." |
| 26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, | 26Now in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, |
| 27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. | 27to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. |
| 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” | 28The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!" |
| 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. | 29Startled by his statement, she tried to figure out what his greeting meant. |
| 30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. | 30Then the angel told her, "Stop being afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God. |
| 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. | 31Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. |
| 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, | 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. |
| 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” | 33He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end." |
| 34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” | 34Mary asked the angel, "How can this happen, since I have not had relations with a man?" |
| 35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. | 35The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will surround you. Therefore, the child will be holy and will be called the Son of God. |
| 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. | 36And listen! Elizabeth, your relative, has herself conceived a son in her old age, this woman who was rumored to be barren is in her sixth month. |
| 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” | 37Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God's promises." |
| 38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. | 38Then Mary said, "Truly I am the Lord's servant. Let everything you have said happen to me." Then the angel left her. |
| 39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, | 39Later on, Mary set out for a Judean city in the hill country. |
| 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. | 40She went into Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. |
| 41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, | 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby jumped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit |
| 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! | 42and she loudly exclaimed, "How blessed are you among women, and how blessed is the infant in your womb! |
| 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? | 43Why should this happen to me, to have the mother of my Lord visit me? |
| 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. | 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. |
| 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” | 45How blessed is this woman for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled!" |
| 46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, | 46Then Mary said, "My soul praises the greatness of the Lord! |
| 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, | 47My spirit exults in God, my Savior, |
| 48for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; | 48because he has looked favorably on his humble servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed, |
| 49for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. | 49because the Almighty has done great things for me. His name is holy. |
| 50And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. | 50His mercy lasts from generation to generation for those who fear him. |
| 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; | 51He displayed his mighty power with his arm. He scattered people who were proud in mind and heart. |
| 52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; | 52He pulled powerful rulers from their thrones and lifted up humble people. |
| 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. | 53He filled hungry people with good things and sent rich people away with nothing. |
| 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, | 54He helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful, |
| 55as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” | 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors— to Abraham and his descendants forever." |
| 56And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. | 56Now Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home. |
| 57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. | 57When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. |
| 58And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. | 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. |
| 59And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, | 59On the eighth day they went to circumcise the child. They were going to name him Zechariah after his father, |
| 60but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” | 60but his mother said, "Absolutely not! He must be named John." |
| 61And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” | 61Their friends told her, "None of your relatives has that name." |
| 62And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. | 62So they motioned to the baby's father to see what he wanted to name him. |
| 63And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. | 63He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And everyone was amazed. |
| 64And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. | 64Suddenly, Zechariah could open his mouth, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak and to praise God. |
| 65And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, | 65Fear came over all their neighbors, and throughout the hill country of Judea all these things were being discussed. |
| 66and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. | 66Everyone who heard about it kept thinking what had happened and asked, "What will this child become?" because it was obvious that the hand of the Lord was with him. |
| 67And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, | 67Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: |
| 68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people | 68"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He has taken care of his people and has set them free. |
| 69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, | 69He has raised up a mighty Savior for us from the family of his servant David, |
| 70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, | 70just as he promised long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets |
| 71that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; | 71that he would save us from our enemies and from the grip of all who hate us. |
| 72to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, | 72He has shown mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant, |
| 73the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us | 73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. He granted us |
| 74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, | 74deliverance from our enemies' grip so that we could serve him without fear |
| 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. | 75and be holy and righteous before him all of our days. |
| 76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, | 76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way |
| 77to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, | 77and to give his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins. |
| 78because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high | 78Because of the tender mercy of our God, his light from on high has visited us, |
| 79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” | 79to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death's shadow, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." |
| 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. | 80Now the child continued to grow and to become spiritually strong. He lived in the wilderness until the day he appeared in Israel. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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