Luke 1:1-25.
Luke 1:1-25 (Good News Translation)
1 Dear Theophilus: Many people have done their best to write a report
of the things that have taken place among us. 2 They wrote what we
have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and
who proclaimed the message. 3 And so, Your Excellency, because I have
carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it
would be good to write an orderly account for you. 4 I do this so that
you will know the full truth about everything which you have been
taught. 5 During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a
priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah.
His wife's name was Elizabeth; she also belonged to a priestly family.
6 They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the
Lord's laws and commands. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth
could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old. 8 One
day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his
turn in the daily service. 9 According to the custom followed by the
priests, he was chosen by lot to burn incense on the altar. So he went
into the Temple of the Lord, 10 while the crowd of people outside
prayed during the hour when the incense was burned. 11 An angel of the
Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where
the incense was burned. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and
felt afraid. 13 But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid,
Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son. You are to name him John. 14 How glad and happy you
will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! 15 John
will be great in the Lord's sight. He must not drink any wine or
strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy
Spirit, 16 and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the
Lord their God. 17 He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty
like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together
again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of
the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him. " 18
Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an
old man, and my wife is old also." 19 "I am Gabriel," the angel
answered. "I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you
and tell you this good news. 20 But you have not believed my message,
which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed,
you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my
promise to you comes true. " 21 In the meantime the people were
waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was spending such a long
time in the Temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them,
and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Unable to
say a word, he made signs to them with his hands. 23 When his period
of service in the Temple was over, Zechariah went back home. 24 Some
time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and did not leave the
house for five months. 25 "Now at last the Lord has helped me," she
said. "He has taken away my public disgrace!"
God bless you.
1 Dear Theophilus: Many people have done their best to write a report
of the things that have taken place among us. 2 They wrote what we
have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and
who proclaimed the message. 3 And so, Your Excellency, because I have
carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it
would be good to write an orderly account for you. 4 I do this so that
you will know the full truth about everything which you have been
taught. 5 During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a
priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah.
His wife's name was Elizabeth; she also belonged to a priestly family.
6 They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the
Lord's laws and commands. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth
could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old. 8 One
day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his
turn in the daily service. 9 According to the custom followed by the
priests, he was chosen by lot to burn incense on the altar. So he went
into the Temple of the Lord, 10 while the crowd of people outside
prayed during the hour when the incense was burned. 11 An angel of the
Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where
the incense was burned. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and
felt afraid. 13 But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid,
Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son. You are to name him John. 14 How glad and happy you
will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! 15 John
will be great in the Lord's sight. He must not drink any wine or
strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy
Spirit, 16 and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the
Lord their God. 17 He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty
like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together
again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of
the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him. " 18
Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an
old man, and my wife is old also." 19 "I am Gabriel," the angel
answered. "I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you
and tell you this good news. 20 But you have not believed my message,
which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed,
you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my
promise to you comes true. " 21 In the meantime the people were
waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was spending such a long
time in the Temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them,
and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Unable to
say a word, he made signs to them with his hands. 23 When his period
of service in the Temple was over, Zechariah went back home. 24 Some
time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and did not leave the
house for five months. 25 "Now at last the Lord has helped me," she
said. "He has taken away my public disgrace!"
God bless you.
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