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Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
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he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
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Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
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He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
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for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
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He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
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And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
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Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
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“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
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The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
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He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
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Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
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“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
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In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
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But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
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As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
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Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
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Mary’s Song
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
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for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
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He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
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Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
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but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
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They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
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He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
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Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
