Parallel Bible results for "Luke 1"

Luke 1

New Living Translation NLT

1 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us.

2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.

3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus,

4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.

6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.

7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.

9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.

10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.

12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.

13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.

16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.

17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long.

22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.

24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.

25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,

27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.

37 For the word of God will never fail. ”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town

40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.

43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?

44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.

45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.

51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.

54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.

55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.

58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.

60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.”

62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him.

63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.”

64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.

66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.

69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,

70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.

71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us.

72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—

73 the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.

74 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.

76 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.

78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

The Message Bible MSG

1 So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us,

2 using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives.

3 Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story's beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus,

4 so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught. A Childless Couple Conceives

5 During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.

6 Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God.

7 But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

8 It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment,

9 it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense.

10 The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering.

11 Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense.

12 Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

13 But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John.

14 You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you - many will delight in his birth.

15 He'll achieve great stature with God.

16 He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.

17 He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics - he'll get the people ready for God."

18 Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."

19 But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news.

20 But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time - God's time."

21 Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary.

22 When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.

23 When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home.[

24 It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy.

25 "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said.

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth

27 to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary.

28 Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.

29 She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that.

30 But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you:

31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.

32 He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David;

33 He will rule Jacob's house forever - no end, ever, to his kingdom."

34 Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man."

35 The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.

36 "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months' pregnant!

37 Nothing, you see, is impossible with God."

38 And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Blessed Among Women

39 Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country,

40 straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit,

42 and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed!

43 And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me?

44 The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.

45 Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

46 And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news;

47 I'm dancing the song of my Savior God.

48 God took one good look at me, and look what happened - I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten,

49 the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.

50 His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him.

51 He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts.

52 He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud.

53 The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold.

54 He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.

55 It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.

57 When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son.

58 Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

59 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father.

60 But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John."

61 "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that."

62 They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.

63 Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise.

64 Surprise followed surprise - Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

65 A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else.

66 Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this."

67 Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

68 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free.

69 He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant,

70 Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets:

71 Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand;

72 Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do,

73 What he swore to our father Abraham -

74 a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world,

75 made holy before him as long as we live.

76 And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,

77 Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins.

78 Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us,

79 Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

80 The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.