Luke 1-3

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:

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)

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,

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:

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:

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)