Luke 1:1-80 GNT

[1] Dear Theophilus: Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. [2] They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. [3] And so, Your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. [4] I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught. [5] During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife's name was Elizabeth; she also belonged to a priestly family. [6] They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the Lord's laws and commands. [7] They had no children because Elizabeth could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old. [8] One day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his turn in the daily service. [9] According to the custom followed by the priests, he was chosen by lot to burn incense on the altar. So he went into the Temple of the Lord, [10] while the crowd of people outside prayed during the hour when the incense was burned. [11] An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where the incense was burned. [12] When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and felt afraid. [13] But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John. [14] How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! [15] John will be great in the Lord's sight. He must not drink any wine or strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, [16] and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. [17] He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him." [18] Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also." [19] "I am Gabriel," the angel answered. "I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news. [20] But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true." [21] In the meantime the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was spending such a long time in the Temple. [22] When he came out, he could not speak to them, and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Unable to say a word, he made signs to them with his hands. [23] When his period of service in the Temple was over, Zechariah went back home. [24] Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and did not leave the house for five months. [25] "Now at last the Lord has helped me," she said. "He has taken away my public disgrace!" [26] In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. [27] He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. [28] The angel came to her and said, "Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!" [29] Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant. [30] The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. [31] You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, [33] and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!" [34] Mary said to the angel, "I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?" [35] The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. [36] Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. [37] For there is nothing that God cannot do." [38] "I am the Lord's servant," said Mary; "may it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her. [39] Soon afterward Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea. [40] She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. [41] When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit [42] and said in a loud voice, "You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear! [43] Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord's mother comes to visit me? [44] For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. [45] How happy you are to believe that the Lord's message to you will come true!" [46] Mary said, "My heart praises the Lord; [47] my soul is glad because of God my Savior, [48] for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy, [49] because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me. His name is holy; [50] from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him. [51] He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans. [52] He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. [53] He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. [54] He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel. [55] He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever!" [56] Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home. [57] The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son. [58] Her neighbors and relatives heard how wonderfully good the Lord had been to her, and they all rejoiced with her. [59] When the baby was a week old, they came to circumcise him, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. [60] But his mother said, "No! His name is to be John." [61] They said to her, "But you don't have any relative with that name!" [62] Then they made signs to his father, asking him what name he would like the boy to have. [63] Zechariah asked for a writing pad and wrote, "His name is John." How surprised they all were! [64] At that moment Zechariah was able to speak again, and he started praising God. [65] The neighbors were all filled with fear, and the news about these things spread through all the hill country of Judea. [66] Everyone who heard of it thought about it and asked, "What is this child going to be?" For it was plain that the Lord's power was upon him. [67] John's father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he spoke God's message: [68] "Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to the help of his people and has set them free. [69] He has provided for us a mighty Savior, a descendant of his servant David. [70] He promised through his holy prophets long ago [71] that he would save us from our enemies, from the power of all those who hate us. [72] He said he would show mercy to our ancestors and remember his sacred covenant. [73] With a solemn oath to our ancestor Abraham he promised to rescue us from our enemies and allow us to serve him without fear, [75] so that we might be holy and righteous before him all the days of our life. [76] "You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his road for him, [77] to tell his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven. [78] Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us [79] and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace." [80] The child grew and developed in body and spirit. He lived in the desert until the day when he appeared publicly to the people of Israel.