Luke 1:16-40

¹⁶He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

¹⁷He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

¹⁹The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

²⁰Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

²¹The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.

²³When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

²⁴After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

²⁵“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

²⁶Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”

²⁹But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.

³⁰The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

³¹Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’

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

³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

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

³⁵The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

³⁶Behold, Elizabeth your relative also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

³⁷For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”

³⁸Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

³⁹Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,

⁴⁰and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.