Luke 1:39-80

New King James Version

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, ^(A)to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was ^(B)filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ^(C)“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵^(D)Blessed is she who ^[a]believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

The Song of Mary

⁴⁶And Mary said:

^(E)“My soul ^[b]magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷And my spirit has ^(F)rejoiced in ^(G)God my Savior.
⁴⁸For ^(H)He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth ^(I)all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹For He who is mighty ^(J)has done great things for me,
And ^(K)holy is His name.
⁵⁰And ^(L)His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
⁵¹^(M)He has shown strength with His arm;
^(N)He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
⁵²^(O)He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
⁵³He has ^(P)filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped His ^(Q)servant Israel,
^(R)In remembrance of His mercy,
⁵⁵^(S)As He spoke to our ^(T)fathers,
To Abraham and to his ^(U)seed forever.”

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they ^(V)rejoiced with her.

Circumcision of John the Baptist

⁵⁹So it was, ^(W)on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. ⁶⁰His mother answered and said, ^(X)“No; he shall be called John.”

⁶¹But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶²So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

⁶³And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. ⁶⁵Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶And all those who heard them ^(Y)kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And ^(Z)the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zacharias’ Prophecy

⁶⁷Now his father Zacharias ^(AA)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

⁶⁸“Blessed^(AB) is the Lord God of Israel,
For ^(AC)He has visited and redeemed His people,
⁶⁹^(AD)And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
⁷⁰^(AE)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been ^(AF)since the world began,
⁷¹That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷²^(AG)To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
⁷³^(AH)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might ^(AI)serve Him without fear,
⁷⁵^(AJ)In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

⁷⁶“And you, child, will be called the ^(AK)prophet of the Highest;
For ^(AL)you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
⁷⁷To give ^(AM)knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
⁷⁸Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the ^[c]Dayspring from on high ^[d]has visited us;
⁷⁹^(AN)To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To ^(AO)guide our feet into the way of peace.”