| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, | 1Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, |
| 2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, | 2like the accounts passed on to us by those who were 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, | 3So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, 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 for certain the things you were 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 Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron. |
| 6And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. | 6They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. |
| 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. | 7But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old. |
| 8Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, | 8Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, |
| 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, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the holy place of the Lord and burn incense. |
| 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. | 10Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. |
| 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, standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared to him. |
| 12And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. | 12And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear. |
| 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 said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John. |
| 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, | 14Joy and gladness will come to you, and many 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. | 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. |
| 16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, | 16He will turn many of the people of Israel 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.” | 17And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him." |
| 18And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” | 18Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well." |
| 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, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. |
| 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.” | 20And now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place." |
| 21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. | 21Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder why he was delayed in the holy place. |
| 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. | 22When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the holy place, because he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak. |
| 23And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. | 23When his time of service was over, he went to his home. |
| 24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, | 24After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. 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 has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people." |
| 26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, | 26In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of 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 whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and 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, favored one, the Lord is with you!" |
| 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. | 29But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. |
| 30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. | 30So the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for 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 will 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 father David. |
| 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” | 33He will reign 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 said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual 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 replied, "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 holy; he 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. | 36"And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age--although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! |
| 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” | 37For nothing will be impossible with God." |
| 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. | 38So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. |
| 39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, | 39In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, |
| 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. | 40and entered Zechariah's house 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 leaped in her womb, and 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! | 42She exclaimed with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! |
| 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? | 43And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? |
| 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. | 44For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. |
| 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” | 45And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled." |
| 46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, | 46And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord, |
| 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, | 47and my spirit has begun to rejoice 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 upon the humble state of his servant. For 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 he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name; |
| 50And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. | 50from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him. |
| 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; | 51He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts. |
| 52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; | 52He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; |
| 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. | 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty. |
| 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, | 54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, |
| 55as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” | 55as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." |
| 56And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. | 56So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home. |
| 57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. | 57Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and 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 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 came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. |
| 60but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” | 60But his mother replied, "No! He must be named John." |
| 61And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” | 61They said to her, "But none of your relatives bears this name." |
| 62And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. | 62So they made signs to the baby's father, inquiring what he wanted to name his son. |
| 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 they were all amazed. |
| 64And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. | 64Immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he spoke, blessing God. |
| 65And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, | 65All their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about. |
| 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. | 66All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the Lord's hand was indeed 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, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people. |
| 69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, | 69For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, |
| 70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, | 70as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago, |
| 71that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; | 71that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us. |
| 72to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, | 72He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant-- |
| 73the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us | 73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grants |
| 74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, | 74that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without fear, |
| 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. | 75in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live. |
| 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 the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, |
| 77to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, | 77to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. |
| 78because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high | 78Because of our God's tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high |
| 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 give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 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. | 80And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel. |
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