Luke 1:48-77

⁴⁸For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me.

⁴⁹For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.

⁵⁰His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him.

⁵¹With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts.

⁵²He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree.

⁵³Those who had no food he made full of good things; the men of wealth he sent away with nothing in their hands;

⁵⁴His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever,

⁵⁵As he gave his word to our fathers.

⁵⁶And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house.

⁵⁷Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son.

⁵⁸And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy.

⁵⁹And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name;

⁶⁰But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John.

⁶¹And they said, Not one of your relations has that name.

⁶²And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him.

⁶³And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised.

⁶⁴And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God.

⁶⁵And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea.

⁶⁶And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words:

⁶⁸Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free,

⁶⁹Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

⁷⁰(As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,)

⁷¹Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us;

⁷²To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word,

⁷³The oath which he made to Abraham, our father,

⁷⁴That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship,

⁷⁵In righteousness and holy living before him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways;

⁷⁷To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins,