Chapter 1

Introduction

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things 1aaccomplished among us,

2 just as they were handed down to us by those who afrom the beginning 1were beyewitnesses and 2cservants of dthe 3word,

3 it seemed fitting for me as well, ahaving 1investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you bin consecutive order, cmost excellent dTheophilus;

4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been 1ataught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 aIn the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named 1Zacharias, of the bdivision of 2Abijah; and he had a wife 3from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

6 They were both arighteous in the sight of God, walking bblamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in 1years.

8 Now it happened that while ahe was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,

9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot ato enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer aoutside at the hour of the incense offering.

11 And aan angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and afear 1gripped him.

13 But the angel said to him, “aDo not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and byou will 1give him the name John.

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

15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will adrink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit 1while yet in his mother’s womb.

16 “And he will aturn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

17 “It is he who will ago as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of bElijah, cto turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to amake ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For aI am an old man and my wife is advanced in 1years.”

19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am aGabriel, who 1bstands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

20 “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

22 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 akept 1making signs to them, and remained mute.

23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she 1kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying,

25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to atake away my disgrace among men.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel aGabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called bNazareth,

27 to aa virgin 1engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, bof the 2descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was 3Mary.

28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, 1favored one! The Lord 2is with you.”

29 But she awas very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

30 The angel said to her, “aDo not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you ashall name Him Jesus.

32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of athe Most High; and the Lord God will give Him bthe throne of His father David;

33 aand He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, band His kingdom will have no end.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How 1can this be, since I 2am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered and said to her, “aThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of bthe Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason cthe 1holy Child shall be called dthe Son of God.

36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and 1she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 “For 1anothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And 1Mary said, “Behold, the 2bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now 1at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to athe hill country, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was afilled with the Holy Spirit.

42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 “And 1how has it happened to me, that the mother of amy Lord would come to me?

44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

45 “And ablessed is she who 1believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her 2by the Lord.”

The Magnificat

46 And Mary said:

“aMy soul 1bexalts the Lord,

47 And amy spirit has rejoiced in bGod my Savior.

48 “For aHe has had regard for the humble state of His 1bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me bblessed.

49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 “aAnd His mercy is 1upon generation after generation

Toward those who fear Him.

51 “aHe has done 1mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the 2thoughts of their heart.

52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has aexalted those who were humble.

53 “aHe has filled the hungry with good things;

And sent away the rich empty-handed.

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

1In remembrance of His mercy,

55 aAs He spoke to our fathers,

bTo Abraham and his 1descendants forever.”

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

John Is Born

57 Now the time 1had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had 1adisplayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on athe eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, 1after his father.

60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but ahe shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 And they amade signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “aHis name is John.” And they were all astonished.

64 aAnd at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.

65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all athe hill country of Judea.

66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For athe hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zacharias awas filled with the Holy Spirit, and bprophesied, saying:

68 “aBlessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished bredemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a ahorn of salvation for us

In the house of David bHis servant—

70 aAs He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets bfrom of old—

71 1aSalvation bfrom our enemies,

And from the hand of all who hate us;

72 aTo show mercy toward our fathers,

bAnd to remember His holy covenant,

73 aThe oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75 aIn holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 “And you, child, will be called the aprophet of bthe Most High;

For you will go on cbefore the Lord to dprepare His ways;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

1By athe forgiveness of their sins,

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which athe Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 aTo shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

To guide our feet into the bway of peace.”

80 aAnd the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Chapter 2

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

1 Now in those days a decree went out from aCaesar Augustus, that a census be taken of ball 1the inhabited earth.

2 1This was the first census taken while 2Quirinius was governor of aSyria.

3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because ahe was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 And she agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a 1manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And aan angel of the Lord suddenly bstood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, “aDo not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a aSavior, who is 1bChrist cthe Lord.

12 “aThis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a 1manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “aGlory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men 1bwith whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the 1manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary atreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds went back, aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

21 And when aeight days had passed, 1before His circumcision, bHis name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 aAnd when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “aEvery firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “aA pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was arighteous and devout, blooking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And ait had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not bsee death before he had seen the Lord’s 1Christ.

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, 1ato carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

aAccording to Your word;

30 For my eyes have aseen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 aA Light 1of revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and amother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary aHis mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for bthe fall and 1rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a aprophetess, 1Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of bthe tribe of Asher. She was advanced in 2years cand had lived with her husband seven years after her 3marriage,

37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with afastings and prayers.

38 At that very 1moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were alooking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to atheir own city of Nazareth.

40 aThe Child continued to grow and become strong, 1increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Visit to Jerusalem

41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at athe Feast of the Passover.

42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;

43 and as they were returning, after spending the afull number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,

44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.

46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

47 And all who heard Him awere amazed at His understanding and His answers.

48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and aHis mother said to Him, “1Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, bYour father and I 2have been anxiously looking for You.”

49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that aI had to be in My Father’s 1house?”

50 But athey did not understand the statement which He 1had made to them.

51 And He went down with them and came to aNazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and bHis mother ctreasured all these 1things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and 1stature, and in afavor with God and men.

Chapter 3

John the Baptist Preaches

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when aPontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and bHerod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

2 in the high priesthood of aAnnas and bCaiaphas, cthe word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all athe district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“aThe voice of one crying in the wilderness,

‘Make ready the way of the Lord,

Make His paths straight.

5 ‘aEvery ravine will be filled,

And every mountain and hill will be 1brought low;

The crooked will become straight,

And the rough roads smooth;

6 aAnd all 1flesh will bsee the salvation of God.’ ”

7 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “aYou brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and ado not begin to say 1to yourselves, ‘bWe have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

9 “Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so aevery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “aThen what shall we do?”

11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to ashare with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

12 And some atax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “1Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or aaccuse anyone falsely, and bbe content with your wages.”

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were 1wondering in their hearts about John, aas to whether he was 2the Christ,

16 aJohn answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you 1with the Holy Spirit and fire.

17 “His awinnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with bunquenchable fire.”

18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.

19 But when aHerod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of aHerodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which bHerod had done,

20 Herod also added this to them all: ahe locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

21 aNow when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was bpraying, heaven was opened,

22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “aYou are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

23 aWhen He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, 1as was supposed, the son of bJoseph, 2the son of 3Eli,

24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of 1Hesli, the son of Naggai,

26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, athe son of Zerubbabel, the son of 1Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

29 the son of 1Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

30 the son of Simeon, the son of 1Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

32 athe son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of 1Salmon, the son of 2Nahshon,

33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of 1Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, athe son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

35 the son of Serug, the son of 1Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of 2Heber, the son of Shelah,

36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, athe son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,

38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.