Luke 1:1-13

¹To his Excellency, Theophilus. Many attempts have been already made to draw up an account of those events which have reached their conclusion amongst us,

²just as they were reported to us by those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and afterward became bearers of the message.

³And, therefore, I also, since I have investigated all these events with great care from their very beginning, have resolved to write a connected history of them for you,

⁴in order that you may be able to satisfy yourself of the accuracy of the story which you have heard from the lips of others.

⁵In the reign of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division called after Abijah. His wife, whose name was Elizabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron.

⁶They were both righteous people, who lived blameless lives, guiding their steps by all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

⁷But they had no child, Elizabeth being barren; and both of them were advanced in years.

⁸One day, when Zechariah was officiating as priest before God, during the turn of his division,

⁹it fell to him by lot, in accordance with the practise amongst the priests, to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense;

¹⁰and, as it was the Hour of Incense, the people were all praying outside.

¹¹And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right of the Altar of Incense.

¹²Zechariah was startled at the sight and was awe-struck.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, whom you will call by the name John.