Luke 1:26-3:14

^1:26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Miriam. ²⁸ Having come in, the angel said to her, “Greetings, favored one. The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And look, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name ‘Yeshua.’ ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

³⁴ Miriam said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And look, Elisheva, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”

³⁸ And Miriam said, “See, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.”

The angel departed from her. ³⁹ Miriam arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elisheva. ⁴¹ It happened, when Elisheva heard Miriam’s greeting, that the baby leaped in her womb, and Elisheva was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² She called out with a loud voice, and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For look, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.”

⁴⁶ Miriam said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord.
⁴⁷ And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked at the humble state of his servant girl.
For look, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
⁵² He has put down princes from their thrones.
And has exalted the lowly.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,
⁵⁵ As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.”

⁵⁶ Miriam stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house. ⁵⁷ Now the time that Elisheva should give birth was fulfilled, and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her, and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹ It happened on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zechariah, after the name of the father. ⁶⁰ His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called John.”

⁶¹ They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶² They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.

⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.”

And they were all amazed. ⁶⁴ His mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God. ⁶⁵ Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶ All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” The hand of the Lord was with him. ⁶⁷ His father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and worked redemption for his people;
⁶⁹ and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
⁷⁰ (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),
⁷¹ salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
⁷² to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant,
⁷³ the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,
⁷⁴ to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to make ready his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the dawn from on high will visit us,
⁷⁹ to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

⁸⁰ The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

^2:1 Now it happened in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. ² This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; ⁵ to enroll himself with Miriam, who was pledged to be married to him, being pregnant.

⁶ It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him with pieces of cloth, and placed him in a feeding trough, because there was no guest room available for them. ⁸ There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. ⁹ And look, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. ¹¹ For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” ¹³ Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward humankind.”

¹⁵ And it happened that when the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ They came with haste, and found both Miriam and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. ¹⁷ When they saw it, they made known the saying which was spoken to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Miriam kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

²¹ When eight days were fulfilled to circumcise him, his name was called Yeshua, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

²² When the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb will be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

²⁵ And look, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Yeshua, that they might do concerning him according to the requirement of the Law, ²⁸ then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹ “Now you are releasing your servant, Lord,
according to your word, in peace;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹ which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
³² a light for revelation to the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

³³ And his father and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him, ³⁴ and Simeon blessed them, and said to Miriam, his mother, “Look, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. ³⁵ Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ There was one Hannah, a prophetess, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, ³⁷ and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fastings and petitions night and day. ³⁸ Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ When they had accomplished all things that were according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰ The child was growing, and was becoming strong, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. ⁴¹ His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.

⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the feast, ⁴³ and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Yeshua stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey, and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him. ⁴⁶ It happened after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your father and I were anxiously looking for you.”

⁴⁹ He said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be doing the works of my Father?” ⁵⁰ They did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. ⁵² And Yeshua increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.

^3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² in the cohanim gedolim of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ He came into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming the immersion of repentance for forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make his roads straight.
⁵ Every valley will be filled,
and every mountain and hill will be made low,
and the crooked will be made straight,
and the rough ways smooth.
⁶ And all humanity will see the salvation of God.'”

⁷ He said therefore to the crowds who went out to be immersed by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹ Even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ The crowds asked him, “What then must we do?”

¹¹ He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”

¹² Tax collectors also came to be immersed, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”

¹³ He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”

¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?”

He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”