Luke 1:20-63

²⁰But behold, you shall be silent and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.”

²¹And the people waited for Zacharias, and they marveled at his delaying in the temple.

²²But having come out, he was unable to speak to them; and they recognized that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he was making signs to them and remained speechless.

²³And it happened, as soon as the days of his service were fulfilled, that he went away to his house.

²⁴Now after those days Elizabeth his wife conceived; and stayed in seclusion five months, saying,

²⁵“Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

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

²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

²⁸And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

²⁹But when she saw him, she was greatly perplexed by his saying, and she wondered what sort of greeting this was.

³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not fear, Mary, for you have found grace with God.

³¹And behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS.

³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David.

³³And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

³⁴Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

³⁵And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you; therefore, also, that holy child which is to be born shall be called the Son of God.

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

³⁷For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

³⁸Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! May it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

³⁹Now Mary rose up in those days and traveled into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

⁴⁰and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

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

⁴³And why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For behold, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped for joy in my womb.

⁴⁵And blessed is she who has believed, because there shall be a fulfillment to the things having been spoken to her from the Lord.”

⁴⁶And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

⁴⁸Because He looked upon the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For He that is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

⁵⁰And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.

⁵¹He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵²He has overthrown the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.

⁵⁴He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,

⁵⁵As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months, and she returned to her house.

⁵⁷Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she bore a son.

⁵⁸And when her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹Now it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they started to call him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

⁶⁰His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

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

⁶²So they made signs to his father about what he wished him to be called.

⁶³And asking for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they all marveled.