Dedication to Theophilus (Acts 1:1–3)
3 ENGT4T I myself have studied these accounts carefully. So I decided that it would be good for me also to write for you (sg) an accurate account of these matters. 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 ENGT4T I want you to know the truth about what you have been taught {what others have taught you}. BSB BSB: so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth 6 ENGT4T God considered that both of them were righteous, because they constantly completely obeyed everything that God had commanded.BSB BSB: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
7 ENGT4T But they had no children, because Elizabeth had been unable to bear children. Furthermore, she and her husband were very old. BSB BSB: But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 ENGT4T One day Zechariah’s group was doing their work in the Temple in Jerusalem , and he was serving as a priest in God’s presence. BSB BSB: One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 ENGT4T Following their custom, the other priests chose him by lot to enter the Lord’s temple and burn incense. 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 ENGT4T While he was burning the incense, many people were outside in the courtyard , praying. BSB BSB: And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 ENGT4T Then an angel whom God had sent appeared to him. The angel was standing at the right side of the place where the priests burned incense. BSB BSB: Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 ENGT4T When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became very afraid. BSB BSB: When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 ENGT4T But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid! When you (sg) prayed asking God for a son (OR, that God would send the Messiah ), God heard what you prayed. So your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son. You must name him 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 ENGT4T He will cause you to be very happy, and many other people will also be happy because he is born. BSB BSB: He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 ENGT4T God will consider him to be very important. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, in order that he will be completely dedicated to God . He will be controlled by the Holy Spirit {The Holy Spirit will control him} from before he is born. 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 ENGT4T He will persuade many people in Israel to turn away from their sins and please the Lord their God. BSB BSB: Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
18 ENGT4T Then Zechariah said to the angel, “I am very old, and my wife is also so old that she cannot bear a child. So ◄I cannot believe that what you (sg) said will happen !/how can I believe that what you (sg) said will happen ?► RHQ ” 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 ENGT4T Then the angel said to him, “I am God’s chief angel , Gabriel! I do what God tells me, because I constantly am in God’s presence! I was sent {He sent me} to tell you (sg) something good that is going to happen to you . 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 ENGT4T What I have told you will certainly happen at the time God decides , but you did not believe what I told you. So now God will make you will be unable to talk until the day your son is born ”! 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 ENGT4T While Zechariah and the angel were talking, the people in the courtyard were waiting for Zechariah to come out . They wondered, “Why is he staying 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 ENGT4T When Zechariah came out, he was not able to speak to the people. Because he could not talk, he made motions with his hands to try to convey what had happened . Then they realized that he had seen ◄a vision from God /something that God showed him► while he was in the Temple. 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 ENGT4T When Zechariah’s time to work as a priest in the Temple was finished, he left Jerusalem and returned to his home. BSB BSB: And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 ENGT4T Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant EUP . She did not leave their house for five months, because she knew that people would laugh at her if she told them that she was pregnant . BSB BSB: After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 ENGT4T But she thought, “God has enabled me to become pregnant. He has pitied me and I will no longer be ashamed because I have no children !” 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 ENGT4T This time he went to Nazareth town in Galilee district , to a virgin whose name was Mary. It had been {Her parents had} promised that she would marry a man named Joseph, who was descended from King David.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 ENGT4T The angel greeted her and said, “◄The Lord/God► is with you (sg) and you will be greatly blessed {has decided to greatly bless you}!” BSB BSB: The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 ENGT4T But Mary was very confused when she heard that. She wondered what the angel meant by these words. BSB BSB: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 ENGT4T Then the angel said to her, “Mary, God is very pleased with you (sg) , so do not be afraid. BSB BSB: So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 ENGT4T You will become pregnant and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. BSB BSB: Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
32 ENGT4T He will become great. He will be called {People will call him} ◄the Son of God/the man who is also God►. God, the Lord, will make him a king MTY as his ancestor King David was. 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 ENGT4T He will be the King of the Jews, the descendants MTY of your ancestor Jacob, forever. He will rule as king forever!” BSB BSB: and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
35 ENGT4T The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come to you; the power of God MTY/EUP will overshadow you and enable you to become pregnant . So the child you will bear will be completely set apart {give himself completely} to obey God, and he will be called {people will say that he is} ◄the Son of God/the man who is also 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 ENGT4T I also need to tell you something else . Your cousin Elizabeth is very old, and it was thought {people said} that she could not bear any children. But she has been pregnant EUP for almost six months, and will bear a son!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 ENGT4T You should not be surprised at that , because God can do everything!”BSB BSB: For no word from God will ever fail.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 ENGT4T Very soon after that, Mary got ready and went quickly to a town in the highlands of Judea district where Zechariah lived. BSB BSB: In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 ENGT4T She entered his house and greeted his wife Elizabeth. BSB BSB: where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 ENGT4T As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary greet her, the baby moved inside Elizabeth’s womb. The Holy Spirit took complete control of Elizabeth, BSB BSB: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 ENGT4T and she said loudly to Mary , “God has blessed you more than he has blessed any other woman, and he has blessed the child you will bear! BSB BSB: In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 ENGT4T ◄I am not worthy that God would allow you to visit me!/Why is God allowing you to visit me?► RHQ You will be the mother of my Lord! BSB BSB: And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 ENGT4T I realize this because as soon as I heard you greet me, the baby inside my womb moved because he was so happy that you had come .BSB BSB: For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 ENGT4T God is pleased with you because you believed that what ◄the Lord/God► told you would come true.”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 ENGT4T I am happy because God is the one who saves me. BSB BSB: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
49 ENGT4T because they will hear about the things that God MTY , the mighty one, has done for me. He MTY is awesome! BSB BSB: For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 ENGT4T He acts mercifully toward all those who respect him. BSB BSB: His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 ENGT4T He shows people that he MTY is very powerful. He scatters those who think proudly. BSB BSB: He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 ENGT4T He does not let mighty kings rule MTY any more, but he honors people who are oppressed (OR, humble). BSB BSB: He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 ENGT4T He gives good things to eat to those who are hungry, but he sends away the rich people without giving them anything. BSB BSB: He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 ENGT4T He promised to Abraham and all our other ancestors who descended from him that he would act mercifully toward them forever. And now he has remembered what he promised. So he has helped me and all the other people of MTY Israel who serve him.” BSB BSB: He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
56 ENGT4T Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home. BSB BSB: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist 57 ENGT4T When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her child, she bore a son. BSB BSB: When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 ENGT4T Her neighbors and relatives heard how ◄the Lord/God► had greatly blessed her by enabling her to bear a child , so they were happy along with Elizabeth . BSB BSB: Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 ENGT4T Seven days later they gathered together for the ceremony for circumcising the baby to show that he belonged to God . They wanted to give the baby the same name as his father, Zechariah. BSB BSB: On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
60 ENGT4T But his mother said, “No, his name will not be Zechariah . His name will be John!” BSB BSB: But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 ENGT4T So they said to her, “John is not the name of any of your (dl) relatives, so you(dl) should not give him that name !”BSB BSB: They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 ENGT4T Then they made motions with their hands to Zechariah, for him to indicate what name he wanted to be given {to give} to his son. BSB BSB: So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 ENGT4T So he signaled that they should give him a tablet to write on. When they gave him one , he wrote on it , “His name is John.” All those who were there were surprised!BSB BSB: Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 ENGT4T Immediately Zechariah was able to speak again MTY , and he praised God. BSB BSB: Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 ENGT4T All their neighbors were amazed/awestruck! They told other people who lived all over the highlands of Judea about what had happened. BSB BSB: All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.
66 ENGT4T Everyone who heard about it kept thinking about it. They were saying, “We wonder what will this child do for God when he grows up RHQ !” They wondered that because from what had happened they were sure that God would be helping that child SYN in a powerful way . 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 ENGT4T After Zechariah’s son was born , Zechariah was completely directed by the Holy Spirit {the Holy Spirit completely directed Zechariah} as he spoke these words that came from God:BSB BSB: Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 ENGT4T “Praise the Lord, the God whom we(inc) people of Israel worship, because he has come to set us, his people, free from our enemies. BSB BSB: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 ENGT4T He is sending us someone who will powerfully MTY save us, someone who is descended from MTY King David, who served God well. BSB BSB: He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
70 ENGT4T Long ago God caused his prophets to say that he would do that. BSB BSB: as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
71 ENGT4T He will rescue us from our enemies, and he will save us from the power of all those who hate us. BSB BSB: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 ENGT4T He will do this because he has not forgotten what he promised our ancestors; he made an agreement that he would act mercifully to us, their descendants. BSB BSB: to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 ENGT4T That is what he strongly promised our ancestor Abraham that he would do. BSB BSB: the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 ENGT4T God told him that we would be rescued {he would rescue us} from the power of our enemies, that he would enable us to serve him without being afraid, BSB BSB: deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 ENGT4T that he would cause us to be completely dedicated to him, and enable us to live righteously all of our lives.” BSB BSB: in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 ENGT4T Then Zechariah said this to his little son: “My child, you will be called {people will say that you are} a prophet whom God MTY/EUP has sent; you will begin your work before ◄the Lord/Messiah► comes; you will prepare people so that they will be ready for him. (OR, you will begin your work before the Messiah comes).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 ENGT4T You will tell God’s people how he will forgive them and save them from being punished for their sins. BSB BSB: to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 ENGT4T Our God will do that because he is very kind to us. Just like a new day begins when the sun rises MET , God will do that new thing for us when the Messiah comes to us from heaven. BSB BSB: because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 ENGT4T People who do not know God MET are like those who sit in the darkness. They are afraid MTY that they will soon die. But when the Messiah tells us God’s message, it will be like causing such people to see a bright light. He will guide us SYN so that we will be living peacefully.” 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 ENGT4T Later , Zechariah’s son grew up and became spiritually strong. Then he lived in a desolate region until he began to preach to the Israeli people.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.