Luke 1
Zechariah, a priest, and his wife Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron, were childless and advanced in years, but an angel appeared to Zechariah, announcing that Elizabeth would bear a son, John, who would be great in the sight of the Lord and prepare the way for the Lord. Zechariah questioned the angel, who identified himself as Gabriel, and as a result of Zechariah's doubt, he was rendered mute until the birth of John. Meanwhile, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, a virgin, announcing that she would bear a son, Jesus, who would be the Son of the Most High and reign on the throne of David. Mary visited Elizabeth, who was six months pregnant, and Elizabeth's unborn child leaped for joy at the sound of Mary's greeting. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months before returning home. When Elizabeth gave birth to John, Zechariah's speech was restored, and he prophesied about the redemption of Israel and the role of his son John as a prophet of the Most High.
Since, indeed, many have attempted to set in order a narrative of the things that have been completed among usjust as they have been handed on to those of us who from the beginning saw the same and were ministers of the wordso it seemed good to me also, having diligently followed everything from the beginning, to write to you, in an orderly manner, most excellent Theophilusso that you might know the truthfulness of those words by which you have been instructedThere was, in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the section of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was ElizabethNow they were both just before God, progressing in all of the commandments and the justifications of the Lord without blameAnd they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both had become advanced in yearsThen it happened that, when he was exercising the priesthood before God, in the order of his sectionaccording to the custom of the priesthood, the lot fell so that he would offer incense, entering into the temple of the LordAnd the entire multitude of the people was praying outside, at the hour of incenseThen there appeared to him an Angel of the Lord, standing at the right of the altar of incenseAnd upon seeing him, Zechariah was disturbed, and fear fell over himBut the Angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son to you. And you shall call his name JohnAnd there will be joy and exultation for you, and many will rejoice in his nativityFor he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s wombAnd he will convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their GodAnd he will go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, so that he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the incredulous to the prudence of the just, so as to prepare for the Lord a completed people.And Zechariah said to the Angel: "How may I know this? For I am elderly, and my wife is advanced in years.And in response, the Angel said to him: "I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have been sent to speak to you, and to proclaim these things to youAnd behold, you will be silent and unable to speak, until the day on which these things shall be, because you have not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they wondered why he was being delayed in the templeThen, 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 was making signs to them, but he remained muteAnd it happened that, after the days of his office were completed, he went away to his houseThen, after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she hid herself for five months, saying"For the Lord did this for me, at the time when he decided to take away my reproach among men.Then, in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee named Nazarethto a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was MaryAnd upon entering, the Angel said to her: "Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.And when she had heard this, she was disturbed by his words, and she considered what kind of greeting this might beAnd the Angel said to her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with GodBehold, you shall conceive in your womb, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name: JESUSHe will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. And he will reign in the house of Jacob for eternityAnd his kingdom shall have no end.Then Mary said to the Angel, "How shall this be done, since I do not know man?And in response, the Angel said to her: "The Holy Spirit will pass over you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And because of this also, the Holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of GodAnd behold, your cousin Elizabeth has herself also conceived a son, in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her who is called barrenFor no word will be impossible with God.Then Mary said: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." And the Angel departed from herAnd in those days, Mary, rising up, traveled quickly into the hill country, to a city of JudahAnd she entered into the house of Zechariah, and she greeted ElizabethAnd it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy SpiritAnd she cried out with a loud voice and said: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your wombAnd how does this concern me, so that the mother of my Lord would come to meFor behold, as the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joyAnd blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished.And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the LordAnd my spirit leaps for joy in God my SaviourFor he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessedFor he who is great has done great things for me, and holy is his nameAnd his mercy is from generation to generations for those who fear himHe has accomplished powerful deeds with his arm. He has scattered the arrogant in the intentions of their heartHe has deposed the powerful from their seat, and he has exalted the humbleHe has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away emptyHe has taken up his servant Israel, mindful of his mercyjust as he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his offspring forever.Then Mary stayed with her for about three months. And she returned to her own houseNow the time for Elizabeth to give birth arrived, and she brought forth a sonAnd her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and so they congratulated herAnd it happened that, on the eighth day, they arrived to circumcise the boy, and they called him by his father’s name, ZechariahAnd in response, his mother said: "Not so. Instead, he shall be called John.And they said to her, "But there is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him to be calledAnd requesting a writing tablet, he wrote, saying: "His name is John." And they all wonderedThen, at once, his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosened, and he spoke, blessing GodAnd fear fell upon all of their neighbors. And all these words were made known throughout all the hill country of JudeaAnd all those who heard it stored it up in their heart, saying: "What do you think this boy will be?" And indeed, the hand of the Lord was with himAnd his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he prophesied, saying"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For he has visited and has wrought the redemption of his peopleAnd he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servantjust as he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from ages pastsalvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate usto accomplish mercy with our fathers, and to call to mind his holy testamentthe oath, which he swore to Abraham, our father, that he would grant to usso that, having been freed from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fearin holiness and in justice before him, throughout all our daysAnd you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the face of the Lord: to prepare his waysto give knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of their sinsthrough the heart of the mercy of our God, by which, descending from on high, he has visited usto illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace.And the child grew, and he was strengthened in spirit. And he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel
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