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Luke 1-6
New American Standard Bible

Introduction

1 Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [a](A)accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who (B)from the beginning [b]were (C)eyewitnesses and [c](D)servants of (E)the [d]word, 3 it seemed fitting to me as well, (F)having [e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you (G)in an orderly sequence, (H)most excellent (I)Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the [f]things you have been [g](J)taught.

John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold

5 (K)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the (L)division of [h]Abijah; and he had a wife [i]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both (M)righteous in the sight of God, walking (N)blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in [j]years.

8 Now it happened that while (O)he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot (P)to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer (Q)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 Now (R)an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and (S)fear [k]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(T)Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (U)you shall [l]name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will (V)drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [m]while still in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (W)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And it is he who will (X)go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of (Y)Elijah, (Z)to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to (AA)make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For (AB)I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her [n]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am (AC)Gabriel, who [o](AD)stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

21 And meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he repeatedly (AE)[p]made signs to them, and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.

24 Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself [q]in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to (AF)take away my disgrace among people.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel (AG)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named (AH)Nazareth, 27 to (AI)a virgin [r]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, (AJ)of the [s]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [t]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord [u]is with you.” 29 But she (AK)was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “(AL)Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you (AM)shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (AN)the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him (AO)the throne of His father David; 33 (AP)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (AQ)and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I [v]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(AR)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AS)the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also (AT)the [w]holy Child will be called (AU)the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and [x]she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For (AV)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now [y]at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to (AW)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was (AX)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [z]how has it happened to me that the mother of (AY)my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And (AZ)blessed is she who [aa]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [ab]by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said:

“(BA)My soul [ac](BB)exalts the Lord,
47 And (BC)my spirit has rejoiced in (BD)God my Savior.
48 For (BE)He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will [ad]call me (BF)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 (BG)And His mercy is to generation [ae]after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (BH)He has done [af]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [ag]thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (BI)exalted those who were humble.
53 (BJ)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has given help to His servant Israel,
[ah]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (BK)Just as He spoke to our fathers,
(BL)To Abraham and his [ai]descendants forever.”

56 Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

John the Baptist Is Born

57 Now the time [aj]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [ak](BM)displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on (BN)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, [al]after his father. 60 And yet his mother responded and said, “No indeed; but (BO)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 And they [am](BP)made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote [an]as follows, “(BQ)His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 (BR)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking in praise of God. 65 And fear came on all those who lived around them; and all these matters were being talked about in (BS)the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For indeed (BT)the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zechariah (BU)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (BV)prophesied, saying:

68 “(BW)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (BX)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (BY)horn of salvation for us
In the house of (BZ)His servant David—
70 (CA)Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (CB)from ancient times—
71 [ao](CC)Salvation (CD)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (CE)To show mercy to our fathers,
(CF)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (CG)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Would serve Him without fear,
75 (CH)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, also will be called the (CI)prophet of (CJ)the Most High;
For you will go on (CK)before the Lord to (CL)prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
[ap]By (CM)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (CN)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (CO)To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (CP)way of peace.”

80 (CQ)Now the child grew and was becoming strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

2 Now in those days a decree went out from (CR)Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of (CS)all [aq]the inhabited earth. 2 [ar]This was the first census taken while [as]Quirinius was governor of (CT)Syria. 3 And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because (CU)he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was [at]betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the [au]time came for her to give birth. 7 And she (CV)gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a [av]manger, because there was no [aw]room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 And (CW)an angel of the Lord suddenly (CX)stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “(CY)Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a (CZ)Savior, who is [ax](DA)Christ (DB)the Lord. 12 And (DC)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [ay]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly [az]army of angels praising God and saying,

14 “(DD)Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people [ba](DE)with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [bb]manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary (DF)treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, (DG)glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

21 And when (DH)eight days were completed [bc]so that it was time for His circumcision, (DI)He was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 (DJ)And when the days for [bd]their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “(DK)Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “(DL)A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was (DM)righteous and devout, (DN)looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And (DO)it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not (DP)see death before he had seen the Lord’s [be]Christ. 27 And he came [bf]by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [bg](DQ)to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace,
(DR)According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have (DS)seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples:
32 (DT)A light for revelation [bh]for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and (DU)mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to (DV)His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for (DW)the fall and [bi]rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be [bj]opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a (DX)prophetess, [bk]Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of (DY)the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in [bl]years (DZ)and had lived with her husband for seven years after her [bm]marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with (EA)fasts and prayers. 38 And at that very [bn]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were (EB)looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

39 And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to (EC)their own city of Nazareth. 40 (ED)Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, [bo]increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.

Visit to Jerusalem

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at (EE)the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the (EF)full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. 44 Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him (EG)were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and (EH)His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, (EI)Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that (EJ)I had to be in My Father’s [bp]house?” 50 And yet (EK)they on their part did not understand the statement which He had [bq]made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to (EL)Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and (EM)His mother (EN)treasured all these [br]things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and [bs]stature, and in (EO)favor with God and people.

John the Baptist Preaches

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when (EP)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and (EQ)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of (ER)Annas and (ES)Caiaphas, (ET)the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all (EU)the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance [bt]for the forgiveness of sins; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“(EV)The voice of one calling [bu]out in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!
5 (EW)Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be lowered;
The crooked will become straight,
And the rough roads smooth;
6 (EX)And all [bv]flesh will (EY)see the salvation of God!’”

7 So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “(EZ)You [bw]offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore produce fruits that are consistent with repentance, and (FA)do not start saying [bx]to yourselves, ‘(FB)We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham. 9 But indeed the axe is already being laid at the root of the trees; so (FC)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “(FD)Then what are we to do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The one who has two [by]tunics is to (FE)share with the one who has none; and the one who has food is to do likewise.” 12 Now even (FF)tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13 And he said to them, “[bz]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor [ca](FG)harass anyone, and (FH)be content with your wages.”

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, (FI)whether he himself perhaps was the [cb]Christ, 16 (FJ)John responded to them all, saying, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you [cc]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His (FK)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with (FL)unquenchable fire.”

18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. 19 But when (FM)Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him regarding (FN)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and regarding all the evil things which (FO)Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: (FP)he locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

21 (FQ)Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while He was (FR)praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “(FS)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

23 (FT)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of (FU)Joseph, [cd]the son of [ce]Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of [cf]Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, (FV)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of [cg]Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of [ch]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of [ci]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 (FW)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of [cj]Salmon, the son of [ck]Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of [cl]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, (FX)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of [cm]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of [cn]Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, (FY)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

The Temptation of Jesus

4 (FZ)Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (GA)returned from the Jordan and was led around [co]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for (GB)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘(GC)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 (GD)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [cp](GE)the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [cq]its glory, (GF)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. 7 Therefore if You [cr]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus replied to him, “It is written: ‘(GG)You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

9 (GH)And he brought Him into Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written:

‘(GI)He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect You,’

11 and,

‘(GJ)On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been stated, ‘(GK)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

14 And (GL)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and (GM)news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 And He began (GN)teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

16 And He came to (GO)Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, (GP)He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and (GQ)stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 “(GR)The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 (GS)To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

20 And He (GT)rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and (GU)sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21 Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your [cs]hearing.” 22 And all the people were [ct]speaking well of Him, and admiring the [cu]gracious words which were coming from His [cv]lips; and yet they were saying, “(GV)Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will [cw]quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done (GW)in Capernaum, do here in (GX)your hometown as well.’” 24 But He said, “Truly I say to you, (GY)no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel (GZ)in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a [cx]severe famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to [cy](HA)Zarephath, in the land of (HB)Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was [cz]cleansed, but only (HC)Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and (HD)drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the [da]crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. 30 But He (HE)passed through their midst and went on His way.

31 And (HF)He came down to (HG)Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and (HH)they were amazed at His teaching, because (HI)His [db]message was delivered with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man [dc]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Leave us alone! [dd](HJ)What business do You have with us, Jesus [de]of (HK)Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—(HL)the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus (HM)rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is [df]this message? For (HN)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And (HO)the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.

Many Are Healed

38 (HP)Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was (HQ)suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him [dg]to help her. 39 And standing over her, He (HR)rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them.

40 (HS)Now while (HT)the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was (HU)laying His hands on each one of them and (HV)healing them. 41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are (HW)the Son of God!” And yet He was (HX)rebuking them and would (HY)not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the [dh]Christ.

42 (HZ)Now when day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and they came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. 43 But He said to them, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to the other cities, (IA)because I was sent for this purpose.”

44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues (IB)of [di]Judea.

The First Disciples

5 (IC)Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by (ID)the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And (IE)He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and (IF)let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon responded and said, “(IG)Master, (IH)we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but [dj]I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, (II)they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. 8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and likewise also were [dk]James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “(IJ)Do not fear; from now on you will be (IK)catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, (IL)they left everything and followed Him.

A Man with Leprosy Healed

12 (IM)While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man [dl]covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He ordered him to tell no one, saying, “But go and (IN)show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15 But (IO)the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away [dm]to the [dn]wilderness and (IP)pray.

A Man Lowered Through a Roof

17 [do]One day He was teaching, and (IQ)there were some Pharisees and (IR)teachers of the Law sitting there who had (IS)come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and (IT)the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 (IU)And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on (IV)the roof and let him down (IW)through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 And seeing their faith, He said, “[dp]Friend, (IX)your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees (IY)began thinking of the implications, saying, “(IZ)Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? (JA)Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, [dq]aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the (JB)man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25 And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home (JC)glorifying God. 26 And [dr]they were all struck with astonishment and began (JD)glorifying God. They were also filled (JE)with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”

Call of Levi (Matthew)

27 (JF)After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named [ds](JG)Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he (JH)left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.

29 And (JI)Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of (JJ)tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 (JK)The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and [dt]sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “(JL)It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

33 And they said to Him, “(JM)The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do [du]the same, but Yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the [dv]attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 (JN)But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the patch from the new garment will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 (JO)Now it happened that [dw]Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples (JP)were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what (JQ)is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even read (JR)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the [dx]consecrated bread, which (JS)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” 5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

6 (JT)On another Sabbath He entered (JU)the synagogue and taught; and a man was there [dy]whose right hand was withered. 7 Now the scribes and the Pharisees (JV)were watching Him [dz]closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. 8 But He (JW)knew [ea]what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and [eb]come forward!” And he got up and [ec]came forward. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” 10 And after (JX)looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. 11 But they themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

12 Now it was [ed]at this time that He went off to (JY)the mountain to (JZ)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God. 13 And when day came, (KA)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as (KB)apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and [ee]James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and (KC)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 And then Jesus (KD)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was (KE)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the coastal region of (KF)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the [ef]people were trying to (KG)touch Him, because (KH)power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

20 And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and began saying, “(KI)Blessed are [eg]you who are poor, for (KJ)yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are [eh]you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are [ei]you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 (KK)Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they [ej](KL)exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and (KM)jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to [ek]treat the prophets (KN)the same way. 24 But woe to (KO)you who are rich, for (KP)you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who [el]are well-fed now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to [em]treat the (KQ)false prophets the same way.

27 “But I say to you who hear, (KR)love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, (KS)pray for those who are abusive to you. 29 (KT)Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your [en]cloak, do not withhold your [eo]tunic from him either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 [ep](KU)Treat people the same way you want them to [eq]treat you. 32 (KV)If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 (KW)And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 But (KX)love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be (KY)sons of (KZ)the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. 36 [er]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 “(LA)Do not [es]judge, and you will not be judged; and do not [et]condemn, and you will not be condemned; [eu](LB)pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will [ev]pour (LC)into your lap a (LD)good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

39 Now He also spoke a parable to them: “(LE)A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 (LF)A [ew]student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you look at the [ex]speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the [ey]speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the [ez]speck that is in your brother’s eye. 43 (LG)For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, [fa]on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit. 44 (LH)For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 (LI)The good person out of the good [fb]treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; (LJ)for his mouth speaks from [fc]that which fills his heart.

The Parable of the Builders

46 “Now (LK)why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 (LL)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and [fd]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who [fe]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:1 Or on which there is full conviction
  2. Luke 1:2 Lit became
  3. Luke 1:2 Or ministers
  4. Luke 1:2 I.e., gospel
  5. Luke 1:3 Or followed
  6. Luke 1:4 Lit words
  7. Luke 1:4 Or orally instructed in
  8. Luke 1:5 Gr Abia
  9. Luke 1:5 I.e., of priestly descent
  10. Luke 1:7 Lit days
  11. Luke 1:12 Lit fell upon
  12. Luke 1:13 Lit call his name
  13. Luke 1:15 Lit still from his
  14. Luke 1:18 Lit days
  15. Luke 1:19 Lit stand beside
  16. Luke 1:22 Possibly gesturing or nodding to them
  17. Luke 1:24 Or hidden
  18. Luke 1:27 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
  19. Luke 1:27 Lit house
  20. Luke 1:27 Gr Mariam, Heb Miriam; so throughout Luke
  21. Luke 1:28 Or be
  22. Luke 1:34 Lit do not know a man
  23. Luke 1:35 Lit the holy one fathered
  24. Luke 1:36 Lit this is the sixth month for her who
  25. Luke 1:39 Lit in these days
  26. Luke 1:43 Lit from where this to me
  27. Luke 1:45 Or believed, because there will be
  28. Luke 1:45 Lit from
  29. Luke 1:46 Lit makes great
  30. Luke 1:48 Or consider
  31. Luke 1:50 Lit and
  32. Luke 1:51 Lit might
  33. Luke 1:51 Lit thought, attitude
  34. Luke 1:54 Lit So as to remember
  35. Luke 1:55 Lit seed
  36. Luke 1:57 Lit was fulfilled
  37. Luke 1:58 Lit magnified His mercy with her
  38. Luke 1:59 Lit after the name of
  39. Luke 1:62 I.e., gestured or nodded
  40. Luke 1:63 Lit saying
  41. Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
  42. Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in
  43. Luke 2:1 I.e., the Roman Empire
  44. Luke 2:2 Or This took place as a first census
  45. Luke 2:2 Gr Kyrenios
  46. Luke 2:5 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
  47. Luke 2:6 Lit days were completed
  48. Luke 2:7 Or feeding trough
  49. Luke 2:7 Or space
  50. Luke 2:11 I.e., the Messiah
  51. Luke 2:12 Or feeding trough
  52. Luke 2:13 Or host
  53. Luke 2:14 Lit of good pleasure; or of goodwill
  54. Luke 2:16 Or feeding trough
  55. Luke 2:21 Lit so as to circumcise Him
  56. Luke 2:22 I.e., Mary’s, with Joseph’s support
  57. Luke 2:26 I.e., Messiah
  58. Luke 2:27 Or in
  59. Luke 2:27 Lit to do for Him according to
  60. Luke 2:32 Lit of the Gentiles
  61. Luke 2:34 Or resurrection
  62. Luke 2:34 Or refused
  63. Luke 2:36 Or Hannah
  64. Luke 2:36 Lit days
  65. Luke 2:36 Lit virginity
  66. Luke 2:38 Lit hour
  67. Luke 2:40 Lit becoming full of
  68. Luke 2:49 Or affairs; or business; lit in the things of My Father
  69. Luke 2:50 Lit spoken
  70. Luke 2:51 Lit words
  71. Luke 2:52 Or age
  72. Luke 3:3 Or with reference to
  73. Luke 3:4 Or out, Prepare in the wilderness the way
  74. Luke 3:6 I.e., mankind
  75. Luke 3:7 Or brood
  76. Luke 3:8 Or among
  77. Luke 3:11 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  78. Luke 3:13 Lit Do
  79. Luke 3:14 Or blackmail
  80. Luke 3:15 I.e., Messiah
  81. Luke 3:16 The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by
  82. Luke 3:23 Lit of Eli, and so throughout the genealogy
  83. Luke 3:23 Also spelled Heli
  84. Luke 3:25 Also spelled Esli
  85. Luke 3:27 Gr Salathiel; names of people in the Old Testament are given in their Old Testament form through v 38
  86. Luke 3:29 Gr Jesus
  87. Luke 3:30 Gr Judas
  88. Luke 3:32 Gr Sala
  89. Luke 3:32 Gr Naasson
  90. Luke 3:33 Gr Arni
  91. Luke 3:35 Gr Ragau
  92. Luke 3:35 Gr Eber
  93. Luke 4:1 Or under the influence of; lit in
  94. Luke 4:5 Lit the inhabited earth
  95. Luke 4:6 Lit their (referring to the kingdoms in v 5)
  96. Luke 4:7 Or bow down before
  97. Luke 4:21 Lit ears
  98. Luke 4:22 Or testifying
  99. Luke 4:22 Lit words of grace
  100. Luke 4:22 Lit mouth
  101. Luke 4:23 Lit tell me this
  102. Luke 4:25 Lit great
  103. Luke 4:26 Gr Sarepta
  104. Luke 4:27 I.e., healed
  105. Luke 4:29 Lit brow
  106. Luke 4:32 Lit word
  107. Luke 4:33 Lit having a spirit
  108. Luke 4:34 Lit What to us and to you (an ancient idiom)
  109. Luke 4:34 Lit the Nazarene
  110. Luke 4:36 Or this word, that with authority...come out?
  111. Luke 4:38 Lit about her
  112. Luke 4:41 I.e., Messiah
  113. Luke 4:44 I.e., the country of the Jews (including Galilee)
  114. Luke 5:5 Lit upon Your word
  115. Luke 5:10 Or Jacob
  116. Luke 5:12 Lit full of
  117. Luke 5:16 Lit in
  118. Luke 5:16 Or deserted places
  119. Luke 5:17 Lit On one of the days
  120. Luke 5:20 Lit Man
  121. Luke 5:22 Or perceiving
  122. Luke 5:26 Lit astonishment took them all
  123. Luke 5:27 Also called Matthew
  124. Luke 5:30 I.e., irreligious Jews
  125. Luke 5:33 Lit likewise
  126. Luke 5:34 Lit sons of the bridal chamber
  127. Luke 6:1 Lit He
  128. Luke 6:4 Lit loaves of presentation
  129. Luke 6:6 Lit and his
  130. Luke 6:7 Or maliciously
  131. Luke 6:8 Lit their thoughts
  132. Luke 6:8 Lit stand into the middle
  133. Luke 6:8 Lit stood
  134. Luke 6:12 Lit in these days
  135. Luke 6:14 Or Jacob, also vv 15 and 16
  136. Luke 6:19 Lit crowd
  137. Luke 6:20 Lit the poor
  138. Luke 6:21 Lit the ones who
  139. Luke 6:21 Lit the ones who
  140. Luke 6:22 Or excommunicate
  141. Luke 6:23 Lit do to
  142. Luke 6:25 Or have plenty to eat
  143. Luke 6:26 Lit do to
  144. Luke 6:29 Or outer garment
  145. Luke 6:29 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  146. Luke 6:31 Lit Do to
  147. Luke 6:31 Lit do to
  148. Luke 6:36 Or Prove yourselves merciful
  149. Luke 6:37 Or continually judge
  150. Luke 6:37 Or continually condemn
  151. Luke 6:37 Or continually pardon
  152. Luke 6:38 Lit give
  153. Luke 6:40 Or disciple
  154. Luke 6:41 Or splinter
  155. Luke 6:42 Or splinter
  156. Luke 6:42 Or splinter
  157. Luke 6:43 Lit again
  158. Luke 6:45 Or treasury, storehouse
  159. Luke 6:45 Lit the abundance of
  160. Luke 6:47 Lit does
  161. Luke 6:48 Lit dug and went deep
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Luke 1-5
New International Version

Introduction(A)

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first(B) were eyewitnesses(C) and servants of the word.(D) 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account(E) for you, most excellent(F) Theophilus,(G) 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.(H)

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea(I) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;(J) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.(K) 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,(L) 9 he was chosen by lot,(M) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.(N) 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.(O)

11 Then an angel(P) of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.(Q) 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.(R) 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,(S) Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.(T) 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,(U) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(V) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit(W) even before he is born.(X) 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord,(Y) in the spirit and power of Elijah,(Z) to turn the hearts of the parents to their children(AA) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(AB)

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?(AC) I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”(AD)

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.(AE) I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak(AF) until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs(AG) to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace(AH) among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel(AI) to Nazareth,(AJ) a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,(AK) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,(AL) Mary; you have found favor with God.(AM) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.(AN) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(AO) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(AP) 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom(AQ) will never end.”(AR)

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,(AS) and the power of the Most High(AT) will overshadow you. So the holy one(AU) to be born will be called[b] the Son of God.(AV) 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child(AW) in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”(AX)

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,(AY) 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(AZ) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(BA) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(BB) should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song(BC)

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord(BD)
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(BE)
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.(BF)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(BG)
49     for the Mighty One has done great things(BH) for me—
    holy is his name.(BI)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.(BJ)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(BK)
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(BL)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.(BM)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(BN)
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful(BO)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(BP) forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise(BQ) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”(BR)

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62 Then they made signs(BS) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”(BT) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(BU) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(BV) people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.(BW)

Zechariah’s Song

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(BX) and prophesied:(BY)

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(BZ)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(CA)
69 He has raised up a horn[c](CB) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David(CC)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(CD)
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(CE)
    and to remember his holy covenant,(CF)
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(CG)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him(CH) without fear(CI)
75     in holiness and righteousness(CJ) before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(CK) of the Most High;(CL)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(CM)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,(CN)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun(CO) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,(CP)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(CQ)

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d];(CR) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus(CS) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.(CT) 2 (This was the first census that took place while[e] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)(CU) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem(CV) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him(CW) and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel(CX) of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.(CY) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior(CZ) has been born to you; he is the Messiah,(DA) the Lord.(DB) 12 This will be a sign(DC) to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace(DD) to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.(DE) 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.(DF) 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God(DG) for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child,(DH) he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.(DI)

Jesus Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,(DJ) Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[f]),(DK) 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[g](DL)

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.(DM) He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,(DN) and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,(DO) 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,(DP)
    you may now dismiss[h] your servant in peace.(DQ)
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,(DR)
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”(DS)

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:(DT) “This child is destined to cause the falling(DU) and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet,(DV) Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[i](DW) She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.(DX) 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.(DY)

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.(DZ) 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.(EA)

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.(EB) 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed(EC) at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother(ED) said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father(EE) and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[j](EF) 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.(EG)

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them(EH) and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.(EI) 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.(EJ)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(EK)(EL)

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate(EM) was governor of Judea, Herod(EN) tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,(EO) the word of God came to John(EP) son of Zechariah(EQ) in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(ER) 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[k](ES)

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!(ET) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(EU) 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(EV) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”(EW)

10 “What should we do then?”(EX) the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”(EY)

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized.(EZ) “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”(FA) he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely(FB)—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John(FC) might possibly be the Messiah.(FD) 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[l] water.(FE) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[m] the Holy Spirit and fire.(FF) 17 His winnowing fork(FG) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(FH) 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

19 But when John rebuked Herod(FI) the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.(FJ)

The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus(FK)(FL)

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying,(FM) heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him(FN) in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,(FO) whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”(FP)

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.(FQ) He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,(FR)

the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,

the son of Levi, the son of Melki,

the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,

the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,

the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,

the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,

the son of Josek, the son of Joda,

27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,

the son of Zerubbabel,(FS) the son of Shealtiel,

the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki,

the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,

the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,

the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,

the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon,

the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,

the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,

the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,(FT)

the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse,

the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,

the son of Salmon,[n] the son of Nahshon,

33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,[o]

the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,(FU)

the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob,

the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,

the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,(FV)

35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,

the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,

the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan,

the son of Arphaxad,(FW) the son of Shem,

the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,(FX)

37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,

the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,

the son of Kenan,(FY) 38 the son of Enosh,

the son of Seth, the son of Adam,

the son of God.(FZ)

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(GA)

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,(GB) left the Jordan(GC) and was led by the Spirit(GD) into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days(GE) he was tempted[p] by the devil.(GF) He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God,(GG) tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[q]”(GH)

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.(GI) 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me,(GJ) and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[r]”(GK)

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[s]”(GL)

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[t]”(GM)

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting,(GN) he left him(GO) until an opportune time.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

14 Jesus returned to Galilee(GP) in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.(GQ) 15 He was teaching in their synagogues,(GR) and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth,(GS) where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue,(GT) as was his custom. He stood up to read,(GU) 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,(GV)
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news(GW) to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[u](GX)

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.(GY) The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled(GZ) in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.(HA)

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown(HB) what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”(HC)

24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.(HD) 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.(HE) 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.(HF) 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[v] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”(HG)

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town,(HH) and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.(HI)

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit(HJ)

31 Then he went down to Capernaum,(HK) a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching,(HL) because his words had authority.(HM)

33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us,(HN) Jesus of Nazareth?(HO) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are(HP)—the Holy One of God!”(HQ)

35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly.(HR) “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

36 All the people were amazed(HS) and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority(HT) and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.(HU)

Jesus Heals Many(HV)(HW)

38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked(HX) the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one,(HY) he healed them.(HZ) 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!”(IA) But he rebuked(IB) them and would not allow them to speak,(IC) because they knew he was the Messiah.

42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God(ID) to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.(IE)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(IF)

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[w] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.(IG) 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.(IH)

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”(II)

5 Simon answered, “Master,(IJ) we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.(IK) But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.(IL) 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”(IM) 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid;(IN) from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.(IO)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy(IP)

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[x](IQ) When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone,(IR) but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded(IS) for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

15 Yet the news about him spread all the more,(IT) so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.(IU)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man(IV)

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law(IW) were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.(IX) 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”(IY)

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”(IZ)

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man(JA) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.(JB) They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners(JC)

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”(JD) Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.(JE)

29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors(JF) and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect(JG) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”(JH)

31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”(JI)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(JJ)

33 They said to him, “John’s disciples(JK) often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom(JL) fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;(JM) in those days they will fast.”

36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:1 Or been surely believed
  2. Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,
  3. Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.
  4. Luke 1:80 Or in the Spirit
  5. Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before
  6. Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12
  7. Luke 2:24 Lev. 12:8
  8. Luke 2:29 Or promised, / now dismiss
  9. Luke 2:37 Or then had been a widow for eighty-four years.
  10. Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business
  11. Luke 3:6 Isaiah 40:3-5
  12. Luke 3:16 Or in
  13. Luke 3:16 Or in
  14. Luke 3:32 Some early manuscripts Sala
  15. Luke 3:33 Some manuscripts Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni; other manuscripts vary widely.
  16. Luke 4:2 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
  17. Luke 4:4 Deut. 8:3
  18. Luke 4:8 Deut. 6:13
  19. Luke 4:11 Psalm 91:11,12
  20. Luke 4:12 Deut. 6:16
  21. Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1,2 (see Septuagint); Isaiah 58:6
  22. Luke 4:27 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  23. Luke 5:1 That is, the Sea of Galilee
  24. Luke 5:12 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
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