Luke 1:26-2:20

New International Version

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

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

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

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

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

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

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,^(Q) ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.^(R) ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,^(S) and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord^(T) should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song^(U)

⁴⁶And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord^(V)
⁴⁷    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,^(W)
⁴⁸for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.^(X)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,^(Y)
⁴⁹    for the Mighty One has done great things^(Z) for me—
    holy is his name.^(AA)
⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.^(AB)
⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;^(AC)
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.^(AD)
⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.^(AE)
⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things^(AF)
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful^(AG)
⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants^(AH) forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

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

The Birth of John the Baptist

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

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

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

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

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(AP) and prophesied:^(AQ)

⁶⁸“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,^(AR)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.^(AS)
⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[b]^(AT) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David^(AU)
⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),^(AV)
⁷¹salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷²to show mercy to our ancestors^(AW)
    and to remember his holy covenant,^(AX)
⁷³    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:^(AY)
⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him^(AZ) without fear^(BA)
⁷⁵    in holiness and righteousness^(BB) before him all our days.

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

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

The Birth of Jesus

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

⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem^(BN) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him^(BO) and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and 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.

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

¹³Suddenly 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^(BV) to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵When 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.”

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