1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things[a]1accomplishedamong us,
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just as they were handeddown to us by those who 2from the beginning[b]were 3eyewitnesses and [c]4servants of 5the [d]word,
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it seemedfitting for me as well, 6having [e]investigatedeverythingcarefully from the beginning, to write it out for you 7in consecutiveorder, 8mostexcellent9Theophilus;
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so that you may know the exacttruthabout the things you have been [f]10taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
511In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priestnamed[g]Zacharias, of the 12division of [h]Abijah; and he had a wife[i]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
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They were both13righteous in the sight of God, walking14blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
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But they hadnochild, becauseElizabeth was barren, and they were bothadvanced in [j]years.
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Now it happened that while15he was performing his priestlyservicebeforeGod in the appointed order of his division,
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according to the custom of the priestlyoffice, he was chosen by lot16to enter the temple of the Lord and burnincense.
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And the wholemultitude of the people were in prayer17outside at the hour of the incense offering.
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And 18an angel of the Lordappeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
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Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and 19fear[k]gripped him.
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But the angelsaid to him, "20Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wifeElizabeth will bear you a son, and 21you will [l]give him the nameJohn.
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"You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
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"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will 22drinkno*wineorliquor, and he will be filled with the HolySpirit[m]while yet in his mother'swomb.
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"And he will 23turnmany of the sons of Israelback to the Lord their God.
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"It is he who will 24go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of 25Elijah, 26TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERSBACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to 27makeready a peopleprepared for the Lord."
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Zachariassaid to the angel, "How* will I knowthis for certain? For 28I am an oldman and my wife is advanced in [n]years."
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The angelanswered and said to him, "I am29Gabriel, who [o]30stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you thisgoodnews.
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"And behold, you shall be silent and unable* to speakuntil the daywhenthesethingstakeplace, because* you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their propertime."
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The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.
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But when he came out, he was unable* to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he 31kept [p]makingsigns to them, and remainedmute.
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When the days of his priestlyservice were ended, he wentbackhome.
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AfterthesedaysElizabeth his wifebecamepregnant, and she [q]keptherself in seclusion for fivemonths, saying,
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"This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the dayswhen He looked with favor upon me, to 32takeaway my disgraceamongmen."
Jesus' Birth Foretold
26Now in the sixthmonth the angel33Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galileecalled34Nazareth,
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to 35a virgin[r]engaged to a manwhosename was Joseph, 36of the [s]descendants of David; and the virgin'sname was [t]Mary.
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And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, [u]favored one! The Lord[v]is with you."
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But she 37was veryperplexed at this statement, and kept ponderingwhatkind of salutationthis was.
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The angelsaid to her, "38Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have foundfavor with God.
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"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you 39shall name Him Jesus.
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"He will be great and will be called the Son of 40the MostHigh; and the LordGod will give Him 41the throne of His fatherDavid;
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42and He will reignover the house of Jacobforever, 43and His kingdom will have noend."
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Marysaid to the angel, "How[w]can this be, since I [x]am a virgin**?"
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The angelanswered and said to her, "44The HolySpirit will come upon you, and the power of 45the MostHigh will overshadow you; and for that reason46the [y]holyChild shall be called47the Son of God.
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"And behold, even your relativeElizabeth has alsoconceived a son in her oldage; and [z]she who was calledbarren is now in her sixthmonth.
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"For [aa]48nothing** will be impossible with God."
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And Marysaid, "Behold, the [ab]bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angeldeparted from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39Now[ac]at thistimeMaryarose and went in a hurry to 49the hillcountry, to a city of Judah,
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and entered the house of Zacharias and greetedElizabeth.
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WhenElizabethheardMary'sgreeting, the babyleaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was 50filled with the HolySpirit.
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And she cried out with a loudvoice and said, "Blessed are you amongwomen, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
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"And [ad]how has it happened to me, that the mother of 51my Lord would come to me?
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"For behold, when the sound of your greetingreached my ears, the babyleaped in my womb for joy.
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"And 52blessed is she who [ae]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [af]by the Lord."
[r].
Or "betrothed;" i.e. the first stage of marriage in Jewish culture, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night. More legal than engagement