Luke 1:24-62

²⁴After these days Elisheva 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 amongst 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 Miriam.

²⁸Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favoured one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst 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, Miriam, for you have found favour with God.

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

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.”

³⁴Miriam 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, Elisheva 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.”

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

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

⁴⁰and entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elisheva.

⁴¹When Elisheva heard Miriam’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb; and Elisheva was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

⁴³Why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy!

⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!”

⁴⁶Miriam said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.

⁴⁷My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour,

⁴⁸for he has looked at the humble state of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

⁵⁰His mercy is for generations and generations on those who fear him.

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

⁵²He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.

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

⁵⁴He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,

⁵⁵as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.”

⁵⁶Miriam stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

⁵⁷Now the time that Elisheva should give birth was fulfilled, and she gave birth to a son.

⁵⁸Her neighbours and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zechariah, after the name of his father.

⁶⁰His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called Yochanan.”

⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one amongst your relatives who is called by this name.”

⁶²They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.