Dedication to Theophilus (Acts 1:1–3)
2 ENGNOY even as they were delivered to us by those who were eye-witnesses from the beginning and became ministers of the word, BSB BSB: just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 ENGNOY it seemed good to me also, having accurately traced up all things from the first, to write to thee a connected account, most excellent 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 ENGNOY that thou mightst know the exact truth with regard to those things in which thou wast instructed. BSB BSB: so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth 6 ENGNOY And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. BSB BSB: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
7 ENGNOY And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years. BSB BSB: But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 ENGNOY And it came to pass, that, while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his course, BSB BSB: One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 ENGNOY according to the custom of the priesthood the lot fell to him to go into the temple of the Lord and burn the 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 ENGNOY And the whole multitude of the people was praying without at the time of the incense. BSB BSB: And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 ENGNOY And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. BSB BSB: Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 ENGNOY And Zachariah was troubled at the sight, and fear fell upon him. BSB BSB: When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 ENGNOY But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zachariah; for thy prayer was heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name 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 ENGNOY And thou wilt have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice for his birth. BSB BSB: He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 ENGNOY For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and will drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his very 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 ENGNOY And many of the sons of Israel will he turn to the Lord their God. BSB BSB: Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
18 ENGNOY And Zachariah said to the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is far advanced 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 ENGNOY And the angel answering said to him, I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to thee, and to tell thee these glad tidings. 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 ENGNOY And lo! thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak, until the day when these things shall come to pass, because thou didst not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their season. 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 ENGNOY And the people were looking for Zachariah, and wondering that he remained so long in the temple. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
22 ENGNOY And on coming out, he was not able to speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he was beckoning to them, and remained speechless. 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 ENGNOY And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were completed, that he returned to his house. BSB BSB: And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 ENGNOY And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, BSB BSB: After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 ENGNOY Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me to take away my reproach among 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 ENGNOY to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name 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 ENGNOY And the angel came in to her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored! the Lord is with thee. BSB BSB: The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 ENGNOY And she was troubled at the words, and was considering what this salutation could mean. BSB BSB: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 ENGNOY And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. BSB BSB: So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 ENGNOY And lo! thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and hear a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. BSB BSB: Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
32 ENGNOY He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne 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 ENGNOY and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. BSB BSB: and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
35 ENGNOY And the angel answering said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon thee, and the power of the Most High will overshadow thee; wherefore the holy one that is to be born will be called the 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 ENGNOY And lo! Elizabeth, thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren. 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 ENGNOY For nothing will be impossible with God. BSB BSB: For no word from God will ever fail.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 ENGNOY And Mary arose and went in those days into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Judah. BSB BSB: In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 ENGNOY And she entered the house of Zachariah, and saluted Elizabeth. BSB BSB: where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 ENGNOY And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with 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 ENGNOY and cried out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women; and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! BSB BSB: In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 ENGNOY And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? BSB BSB: And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 ENGNOY For lo! as soon as the voice of thy salutation came to my ears, the babe leaped in my womb in exultation. BSB BSB: For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 ENGNOY And blessed is she who hath believed that there will be an accomplishment of those things which were told her from the Lord. 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 ENGNOY and my spirit hath exulted in God my Saviour; BSB BSB: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
49 ENGNOY for the Mighty One hath 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 ENGNOY and his mercy is from generation to generation on them that fear him. BSB BSB: His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 ENGNOY He hath wrought mightily with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the device of their heart. BSB BSB: He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 ENGNOY He hath cast down princes from thrones, and exalted men of low degree. BSB BSB: He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 ENGNOY The hungry he hath filled with good things, and the rich he hath sent away empty. BSB BSB: He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 ENGNOY He hath given help to Israel his servant, in remembrance of his mercy BSB BSB: He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 ENGNOY toward Abraham and his offspring for ever, as he spoke to our fathers. BSB BSB: as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56 ENGNOY And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. BSB BSB: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist 57 ENGNOY Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. BSB BSB: When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 ENGNOY And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had showed great mercy toward her; and they rejoiced with her. BSB BSB: Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 ENGNOY And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they were about to call him Zachariah, after the name of his father. BSB BSB: On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
60 ENGNOY And his mother answering said, Not so; but he shall be called John. BSB BSB: But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 ENGNOY And they said to her, There is no one of thy kindred that is called by this name. BSB BSB: They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 ENGNOY And they made signs to his father, how he would have him named. BSB BSB: So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 ENGNOY And he asked for a writing-tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they all marveled. BSB BSB: Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 ENGNOY And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue was loosed; and he spoke, blessing God. BSB BSB: Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 ENGNOY And fear came on all that dwelt around them; and all these things were talked of throughout the whole of 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 ENGNOY And all that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What then 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 ENGNOY And Zachariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, BSB BSB: Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 ENGNOY Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! for he hath visited and redeemed his people, BSB BSB: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 ENGNOY and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant,— BSB BSB: He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
70 ENGNOY as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets of old, BSB BSB: as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
71 ENGNOY salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us, BSB BSB: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 ENGNOY to accomplish his mercy toward our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, BSB BSB: to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 ENGNOY the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, BSB BSB: the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 ENGNOY to grant to us, that being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we might worship him without fear, BSB BSB: deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 ENGNOY in holiness and righteousness before him, all our days. BSB BSB: in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 ENGNOY And thou, child, shalt be called a prophet of the Most High; for thou shalt go in advance before the face of the Lord to prepare 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 ENGNOY to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the remission of their sins BSB BSB: to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 ENGNOY through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us, BSB BSB: because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 ENGNOY to give light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet 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 ENGNOY And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit; and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to 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.