Luke 1:33-48

³³and he will reign over the descendants of Jacob for ever; And to his kingdom there will be no end.”

³⁴“How can this be?” Mary asked the angel. “For I have no husband.”

³⁵“The Holy Spirit will descend on you,” answered the angel, “and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; and therefore the child will be called ‘holy,’ and ‘Son of God.’

³⁶And Elizabeth, your cousin, is herself also expecting a son in her old age; and it is now the sixth month with her, though she is called barren;

³⁷for no promise from God will fail to be fulfilled.”

³⁸“I am the servant of the Lord,” exclaimed Mary; “let it be with me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

³⁹Soon after this Mary set out, and made her way quickly into the hill-country, to a town in Judah;

⁴⁰and there she went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child moved within her, and Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Spirit,

⁴²and cried aloud, “Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is your unborn child!

⁴³But how have I this honour, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child moved within me with delight!

⁴⁵Happy indeed is she who believed that the promise which she received from the Lord would be fulfilled.”

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

⁴⁷and my spirit delights in God my Saviour,

⁴⁸for he has looked with favour on his humble servant girl. From now on all generations will call me blessed!