1Since many have undertaken to set forth in order a narrative of those things which have happened among us, 2Just as they have been delivered to us, by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3It seemed good to me also, having carefully investigated all these things from the very beginning, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4That you might know the certainty of those things, about which you have been instructed. 5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abija: and his wife was one of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both now well along in years. 8And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's service before God while his division was on duty, 9According to the custom of the priest's office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of people were praying outside at the time of incense offering. 11And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear came upon him. 13But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zechariah: for your prayer has been heard; and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14And you shall 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 Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 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 Zechariah said to the angel, How shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years. 19And the angel answered him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and have been sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. 20Behold, you shall be silent, unable to speak, until the day that these things come to pass, because you have not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time. 21And the people waited for Zechariah, and wondered why he delayed so long in the temple. 22And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned to them, and remained speechless. 23And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his service were finished, he departed to his own house. 24And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my disgrace among men. 26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28And the angel came to her, and said, Hail, you who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you. 29And she was troubled at his words, and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. 32He 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: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34Then Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I am a virgin? 35And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: therefore the holy child to be born shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age: and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. 39And at that time Mary arose, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; 40And entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. 41And it came to pass, that, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit: 42And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why do I deserve to have the mother of my Lord come to me? 44For, lo, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that those things which were told her from the Lord would be fulfilled. 46And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, 47And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. 48For he has looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he who is mighty has done great things for me; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered those who were proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the humble. 53He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he has sent away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever. 56And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth; and she brought forth a son. 58And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father. 60And his mother answered and said, No; he shall be called John. 61And they said to her, There is no one of your family who is called by this name. 62And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called. 63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, His name is John. And they all marvelled. 64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, and praised God. 65And fear came upon all who lived around them: and all these things were spoken of throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66And all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What shall this child shall turn out to be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68Blessed is the Lord God of Israel; for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70As he spoke by the mouths of his holy prophets, from long ago: 71That we would be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; 72To show the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73The oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74That he would grant to us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our lives. 76And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High: for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77To give to his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins; 78Through the tender mercy of our God, the sunrise from on high will visit us, 79To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80And the child grew, and grew strong in spirit, and lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.