Parallel Bible results for "luke 1"

Luke 1

New Century Version NCV

1 Many have tried to report on the things that happened among us.

2 They have written the same things that we learned from others -- the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message.

3 Since I myself have studied everything carefully from the beginning, most excellentn Theophilus, it seemed good for me to write it out for you. I arranged it in order

4 to help you know that what you have been taught is true.

5 During the time Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to Abijah's group. Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth, came from the family of Aaron.

6 Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good. They did everything the Lord commanded and were without fault in keeping his law.

7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth could not have a baby, and both of them were very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, because his group was on duty.

9 According to the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10 There were a great many people outside praying at the time the incense was offered.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing on the right side of the incense table.

12 When he saw the angel, Zechariah was startled and frightened.

13 But the angel said to him, "Zechariah, don't be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son, and you will name him John.

14 He will bring you joy and gladness, and many people will be happy because of his birth.

15 John will be a great man for the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer, and even from birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

16 He will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God.

17 He will go before the Lord in spirit and power like Elijah. He will make peace between parents and their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking, to make a people ready for the coming of the Lord."

18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is old, too."

19 The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand before God, who sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news.

20 Now, listen! You will not be able to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe what I told you. But they will really happen."

21 Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple.

22 When Zechariah came outside, he could not speak to them, and they knew he had seen a vision in the Temple. He could only make signs to them and remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service at the Temple was finished, he went home.

24 Later, Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said,

25 "Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamedn of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame."

26 During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,

27 to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary.

28 The angel came to her and said, "Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you."

29 But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.

30 The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace.

31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

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

33 He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."

34 Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen since I am a virgin?"

35 The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God.

36 Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months.

37 God can do anything!"

38 Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away.

39 Mary got up and went quickly to a town in the hills of Judea.

40 She came to Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the unborn baby inside her jumped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 She cried out in a loud voice, "God has blessed you more than any other woman, and he has blessed the baby to which you will give birth.

43 Why has this good thing happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

44 When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped with joy.

45 You are blessed because you believed that what the Lord said to you would really happen."

46 Then Mary said, "My soul praises the Lord;

47 my heart rejoices in God my Savior,

48 because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl. From now on, all people will say that I am blessed,

49 because the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is holy.

50 God will show his mercy forever and ever to those who worship and serve him.

51 He has done mighty deeds by his power. He has scattered the people who are proud and think great things about themselves.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones and raised up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with nothing.

54 He has helped his servant, the people of Israel, remembering to show them mercy

55 as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his children forever."

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a boy.

58 Her neighbors and relatives heard how good the Lord was to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 When the baby was eight days old, they came to circumcise him. They wanted to name him Zechariah because this was his father's name,

60 but his mother said, "No! He will be named John."

61 The people said to Elizabeth, "But no one in your family has this name."

62 Then they made signs to his father to find out what he would like to name him.

63 Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John," and everyone was surprised.

64 Immediately Zechariah could talk again, and he began praising God.

65 All their neighbors became alarmed, and in all the mountains of Judea people continued talking about all these things.

66 The people who heard about them wondered, saying, "What will this child be?" because the Lord was with him.

67 Then Zechariah, John's father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 "Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to help his people and has given them freedom.

69 He has given us a powerful Savior from the family of God's servant David.

70 He said that he would do this through his holy prophets who lived long ago:

71 He promised he would save us from our enemies and from the power of all those who hate us.

72 He said he would give mercy to our fathers and that he would remember his holy promise.

73 God promised Abraham, our father,

74 that he would save us from the power of our enemies so we could serve him without fear,

75 being holy and good before God as long as we live.

76 "Now you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

77 You will make his people know that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven.

78 With the loving mercy of our God, a new day from heaven will dawn upon us.

79 It will shine on those who live in darkness, in the shadow of death. It will guide us into the path of peace."

80 And so the child grew up and became strong in spirit. John lived in the desert until the time when he came out to preach to Israel.

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.