Luke 1:1-13

¹Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

²Even as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word;

³It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

⁴That thou mayest know the certainty of those things in which thou hast been instructed.

⁵There was in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

⁷And they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and they both were far advanced in years.

⁸And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priests' office before God in the order of his course,

⁹According to the custom of the priests' office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying without, at the time of incense.

¹¹And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²And when Zacharias saw him , he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.