1Forasmuch as many have
taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us,
2Even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the
word;
3It seemed good to me
also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to
write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4That thou mightest know
the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
5THERE was in the days of
Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachari'ah, of the course of
Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6And they were both
righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless.
7And they had no child,
because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in
years.
8And it came to pass,
that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his
course,
9According to the custom
of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple
of the Lord.
10And the whole multitude
of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11And there appeared unto
him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12And when Zachari'ah saw
him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13But the angel said unto
him, Fear not, Zachari'ah: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall
bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14And thou shalt have joy
and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15For he shall be great
in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16And many of the
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17And he shall go before
him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord.
18And Zachari'ah said unto
the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well
stricken in years.
19And the angel answering
said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to
speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20And, behold, thou shalt
be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be
performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in
their season.
21And the people waited
for Zachari'ah, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22And when he came out,
he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in
the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23And it came to pass,
that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to
his own house.
24And after those days
his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25Thus hath the Lord
dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach
among men.
26And in the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27To a virgin espoused to
a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was
Mary.
28And the angel came in
unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women.
29And when she saw him,
she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should be.
30And the angel said unto
her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
31And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32He shall be great, and
shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David:
33And he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34Then said Mary unto the
angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35And the angel answered
and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the
Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36And, behold, thy cousin
Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth
month with her, who was called barren.
37For with God nothing
shall be impossible.