Luke 1
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Seeing that as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters
which have been fulfilled among us,
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even as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers
of the word,
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it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from
the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;
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that you might know the certainty concerning the things wherein you were instructed.
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There was in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of
the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was
Elisabeth.
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And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances
of the Lord blameless.
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And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were [now]
well stricken in years.
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Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest`s office before God in the order
of his course,
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according to the custom of the priest`s office, his lot was to enter into the temple
of the Lord and burn incense.
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And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.
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And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of altar
of incense.
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And Zacharias was troubled when he saw [him], and fear fell upon him.
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But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias: because your supplication is heard,
and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
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And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
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For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong
drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother`s womb.
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And many of the children of Israel shall be turn to the Lord their God.
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And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient [to walk] in the wisdom of the
just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared [for him].
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And Zacharias said to the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and
my wife well stricken in years.
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And the angel answering said to him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God;
and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you these good tidings.
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And behold, you shall be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things
shall come to pass, because you believed not my words, which shall be fulfilled in
their season.
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And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled while he tarried in the
temple.
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And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they perceived that he had seen
a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs to them, and remained dumb.
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And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed
to his house.
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And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months,
saying,
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Thus has the Lord done to me in the days wherein he looked upon [me], to take away
my reproach among men.
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Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named
Nazareth,
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to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin`s name was Mary.
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And he came in to her, and said, Hail, you that art highly favored, the Lord [is]
with you.
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But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this might be.
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And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God.
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And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call
his name JESUS.
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He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God
shall give to him the throne of his father David:
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and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall
be no end.
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And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
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And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the
power of the Most High shall overshadow you: wherefore also the holy thing which is
engendered shall be called the Son of God.
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And behold, Elisabeth your kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age;
and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren.
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For no word from God shall be void of power.
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And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.
And the angel departed from her.
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And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city
of Judah;
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and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.
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And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped
in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit;
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and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed [art] you among women,
and blessed [is] the fruit of your womb.
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And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
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For behold, when the voice of your salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped
in my womb for joy.
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And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things
which have been spoken to her from the Lord.
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And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord,
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And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.
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For he has looked upon the low estate of his handmaid: For behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
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For he who is mighty has done to me great things; And holy is his name.
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And his mercy is to generations and generations On them that fear him.
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He has showed strength with his arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination
of their heart.
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He has put down princes from [their] thrones, And has exalted them of low degree.
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The hungry he has filled with good things; And the rich he has sent empty away.
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He has given help to Israel his servant, That he might remember mercy
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(As he spoke to our fathers) Toward Abraham and his seed for ever.
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And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her house.
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Now Elisabeth`s time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth
a son.
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And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards
her; and they rejoiced with her.
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And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and
they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of the father.
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And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
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And they said to her, There is none of your kindred that is called by this name.
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And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
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And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled
all.
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And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue [loosed], and he spoke, blessing
God.
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And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised
abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.
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And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this
child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
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And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
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Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel; For he has visited and wrought redemption
for his people,
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And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David
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(As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old),
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Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
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To show mercy towards, our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant;
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The oath which he spoke to Abraham our father,
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To grant to us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should
serve him without fear,
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In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
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Yea and you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High: For you shall
go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;
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To give knowledge of salvation to his people In the remission of their sins,
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Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit
us,
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To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our
feet into the way of peace.
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And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day
of his showing to Israel.