Dedication to Theophilus (Acts 1:1–3)
2 BBE As they were handed down to us by those who saw them from the first and were preachers of the word, BSB BSB: just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 BBE It seemed good to me, having made observation, with great care, of the direction of events in their order, to put the facts in writing for you, most noble Theophilus; BSB BSB: Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4 BBE So that you might have certain knowledge of those things about which you were given teaching. BSB BSB: so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth 6 BBE They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong. BSB BSB: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
7 BBE And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old. BSB BSB: But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 BBE Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God, BSB BSB: One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 BBE And as was the way of the priests, he had to go into the Temple to see to the burning of perfumes. BSB BSB: he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 BBE And all the people were offering prayers outside, at the time of the burning of perfumes. BSB BSB: And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 BBE And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar. BSB BSB: Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 BBE And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him. BSB BSB: When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 BBE But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John. BSB BSB: But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14 BBE And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth. BSB BSB: He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 BBE For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth. BSB BSB: for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
16 BBE And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God. BSB BSB: Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
18 BBE And Zacharias said to the angel, How may I be certain of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far on in years. BSB BSB: “How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
19 BBE And the angel, answering, said, I am Gabriel, whose place is before God; I have been sent to say these words to you and to give you this good news. BSB BSB: “I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 BBE Now, see, you will be without voice or language till the day when these things come about, because you had not faith in my words, which will have effect at the right time. BSB BSB: And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
21 BBE And the people were waiting for Zacharias and were surprised because he was in the Temple for such a long time. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
22 BBE And when he came out he was not able to say anything, and they saw that he had seen a vision in the Temple; and he was making signs to them without words. BSB BSB: When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 BBE And when the days of his work in the Temple were ended, he went back to his house. BSB BSB: And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 BBE After that time, Elisabeth, being certain that she was to become a mother, kept herself from men's eyes for five months, saying, BSB BSB: After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 BBE The Lord has done this to me, for his eyes were on me, to take away my shame in the eyes of men. BSB BSB: “The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth 27 BBE To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary. BSB BSB: to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 BBE And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you. BSB BSB: The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 BBE But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words? BSB BSB: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 BBE And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval. BSB BSB: So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 BBE And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus. BSB BSB: Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
32 BBE He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father: BSB BSB: 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,
33 BBE He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. BSB BSB: and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
35 BBE And the angel in answer said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you, and so that which will come to birth will be named holy, Son of God. BSB BSB: The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 BBE Even now Elisabeth, who is of your family, is to be a mother, though she is old: and this is the sixth month with her who was without children. BSB BSB: Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.
37 BBE For there is nothing which God is not able to do. BSB BSB: For no word from God will ever fail.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 BBE Then Mary got up and went quickly into the high lands, to a town of Judah; BSB BSB: In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 BBE And went into the house of Zacharias and took Elisabeth in her arms. BSB BSB: where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 BBE And when the voice of Mary came to the ears of Elisabeth, the baby made a sudden move inside her; then Elisabeth was full of the Holy Spirit, BSB BSB: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 BBE And she said with a loud voice: May blessing be on you among women, and a blessing on the child of your body. BSB BSB: In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 BBE How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? BSB BSB: And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 BBE For, truly, when the sound of your voice came to my ears, the baby in my body made a sudden move for joy. BSB BSB: For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 BBE Happy will she be who had faith that the things which the Lord has said to her will be done. BSB BSB: Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
Mary’s Song (1 Samuel 2:1–11)
47 BBE My spirit is glad in God my Saviour. BSB BSB: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
49 BBE For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name. BSB BSB: For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 BBE His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him. BSB BSB: His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 BBE With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts. BSB BSB: He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 BBE He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree. BSB BSB: He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 BBE Those who had no food he made full of good things; the men of wealth he sent away with nothing in their hands; BSB BSB: He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 BBE His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever, BSB BSB: He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 BBE As he gave his word to our fathers. BSB BSB: as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56 BBE And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house. BSB BSB: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist 57 BBE Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son. BSB BSB: When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 BBE And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy. BSB BSB: Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 BBE And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name; BSB BSB: On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
60 BBE But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John. BSB BSB: But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 BBE And they said, Not one of your relations has that name. BSB BSB: They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 BBE And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him. BSB BSB: So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 BBE And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised. BSB BSB: Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 BBE And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God. BSB BSB: Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 BBE And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea. BSB BSB: All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.
66 BBE And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. BSB BSB: And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Zechariah’s Song 67 BBE And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words: BSB BSB: Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 BBE Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free, BSB BSB: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 BBE Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, BSB BSB: He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
70 BBE (As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,) BSB BSB: as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
71 BBE Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us; BSB BSB: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 BBE To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word, BSB BSB: to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 BBE The oath which he made to Abraham, our father, BSB BSB: the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 BBE That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship, BSB BSB: deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 BBE In righteousness and holy living before him all our days. BSB BSB: in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 BBE And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways; BSB BSB: And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
77 BBE To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins, BSB BSB: to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 BBE Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us, BSB BSB: because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 BBE To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace. BSB BSB: to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 BBE And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel. BSB BSB: And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.