Dedication to Theophilus (Acts 1:1–3)
4 ENGPEV You already heard some of this, but I want you to know the right story, and I want you to be sure about it. BSB BSB: so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth 6 ENGPEV Those 2 people, Zekariah and Elizabeth, they were very good people. They did everything in God’s law, and God liked the way they lived. BSB BSB: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
7 ENGPEV They got very old, but they didn’t have any kids. You see, Elizabeth just couldn’t have a baby. BSB BSB: But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 ENGPEV The time came for Zekariah’s mob to do the ceremonies in God’s ceremony house, in Jerusalem city. BSB BSB: One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 ENGPEV One day, it was Zekariah’s turn to go into the special room in that house and burn some special perfume to make a good smell. 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 ENGPEV While he was doing that, a big mob of people were outside, and they were praying. BSB BSB: And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 ENGPEV Then God sent one of his angel messengers to that room, and he stood on the right-hand side of the metal table where that special perfume was burning. BSB BSB: Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 ENGPEV Zekariah saw the angel there and got a big shock. He was really frightened. BSB BSB: When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 ENGPEV But the angel told him, “Don’t be frightened, Zekariah. God has heard what you have been asking him, and he will give you what you want. Your wife, Elizabeth, will have a baby boy, and you will 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 ENGPEV You will be really happy, and a lot of other people will be happy with you. BSB BSB: He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 ENGPEV God will say that this kid is important, so you have to make sure he never drinks any sort of wine or grog at all. You see, the Holy Spirit will come into this kid before he gets born, while he is still inside his mother. 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 ENGPEV And then, after he grows up, he will get lots of you Israel people to turn away from bad things and turn back to God. BSB BSB: Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
18 ENGPEV Zekariah said to the angel, “But that’s hard for me to believe. I am an old man, and my wife is old too. We are too old now to have a baby. How can I be sure that your message is true?” 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 ENGPEV The angel said, “Look, I am Gabriel. I am always close to God, and I do special jobs for him. And he sent me to tell you this good message. 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 ENGPEV And everything I said will happen at the right time. But you didn’t believe me, so now God will shut you up. You will not be able to talk until this kid gets 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 ENGPEV While they were talking in that room, the people outside were waiting for Zekariah. They were thinking, “Why is he staying a long time in that room?” BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
22 ENGPEV Then Zekariah came out, and he tried to talk to them, but he couldn’t say anything. He had to make signs with his hands, and at last they understood that he saw something powerful in that room. 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 ENGPEV Then Zekariah finished his days of work in God’s ceremony house, and he went home. BSB BSB: And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 ENGPEV Soon after that, his wife, Elizabeth, found out she was going to have a baby. She stayed inside her house for 5 months. BSB BSB: After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 ENGPEV She said, “Wow. God is properly good to me. He will let me have a baby, and nobody will rubbish me any more.” 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 ENGPEV He went there to a young girl that was not married. Her name was Mary. Before that time, Mary didn’t ever sleep with any man, like a woman does with her husband. She was promised to a man that was called Joseph. He belonged to the family of David, the man that was the big boss a long time ago. 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 ENGPEV Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Hello, Mary. God loves you and is good to you. He is here with you now, and he will do something good for you.” BSB BSB: The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 ENGPEV This worried Mary. She thought, “What’s he talking about?” BSB BSB: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 ENGPEV Gabriel said, “Don’t be frightened, Mary. God is really happy with you. BSB BSB: So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 ENGPEV Listen. You will soon have a baby boy, and you will call him Jesus. BSB BSB: Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
32 ENGPEV God will make him the biggest boss over you Israel people, like David, his grand-father that lived a long time ago. He will be very important, and he will be the biggest boss for ever. He will never stop being the biggest boss over the Israel people. And people will call him the son of God.” 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,
35 ENGPEV Gabriel said, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and God’s power will come over you and give you a baby. Your baby will be really special, and people will say he is God’s son. 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 ENGPEV And you know your cousin Elizabeth? Everyone reckoned she is too old to have a baby, but now she is carrying a baby inside her. She has been carrying that baby for the last 6 months, and soon she will have 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 ENGPEV You see, God can do anything. Nothing is too hard for him.” BSB BSB: For no word from God will ever fail.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 ENGPEV Soon after that, Mary got ready, and she went south quickly to a town in the hilly part of the country called Judea. BSB BSB: In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 ENGPEV Zekariah and Elizabeth lived in that town. Mary went to their house, and she went in and said to Elizabeth, “Hello cousin.” BSB BSB: where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 ENGPEV As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary say those words, she felt her baby jump inside her. And the Holy Spirit came into her, BSB BSB: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 ENGPEV and she talked really loud. She said to Mary, “God is really good to you, and he is making you happy. He is being more good to you than to any other woman. And he is being really good to your baby too. BSB BSB: In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 ENGPEV I’m not important, but you are the mother of my leader, the man from God. It is really good of you to visit me. BSB BSB: And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 ENGPEV You see, as soon as I heard you say ‘hello,’ my baby inside me was so happy he jumped. BSB BSB: For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 ENGPEV Yes, you believed that God will do everything he told you, and so God makes you very happy.” 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 ENGPEV My spirit is really happy with God. I know he will save me. BSB BSB: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
49 ENGPEV Yes, he is the really strong one, and he did great things for me. God is properly good, better than anyone else. BSB BSB: For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 ENGPEV He is always good to all the people that respect him. He was good to people that respected him before, and he is good to people that respect him now, and he will be good to people that respect him later on. BSB BSB: His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 ENGPEV He does great things with his power, and he shows everyone that he is really strong. Some people reckon they are smart and strong, but God makes them nothing. They are like soldiers that get frightened of the enemy and run away. BSB BSB: He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 ENGPEV He chucks out the big bosses and takes their power away. But he gets people that are not important, and he makes them bosses. BSB BSB: He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 ENGPEV And he gives hungry people good food, and they eat until they are full. But he doesn’t give anything to the rich people. They go away with nothing. BSB BSB: He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 ENGPEV He feels sorry for his own people, us Israel mob, and he helps us, BSB BSB: He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 ENGPEV just like he promised to Abraham, and our other grand-fathers that lived a long time ago. He said that he will look after us for ever.” BSB BSB: as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56 ENGPEV Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about 3 months, then she went back to her own home. BSB BSB: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist 57 ENGPEV Then the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she had a son. BSB BSB: When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 ENGPEV All her family, and the people that lived near her, they all heard that she had a baby, and they knew that God felt sorry for Elizabeth, and that he was very good to her. Elizabeth was happy, and they were all happy too. BSB BSB: Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 ENGPEV When the baby was 8 days old, all those people went to Zekariah and Elizabeth’s place. The baby boy had to have a young man operation on that day, and they used to give a baby his name at that time. The people wanted to call him Zekariah, the same name that his father had. BSB BSB: On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
60 ENGPEV But Elizabeth said, “No. His name is John.” BSB BSB: But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 ENGPEV They said, “What? Nobody in your family has that name.” BSB BSB: They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 ENGPEV So they made signs with their hands to his father, to ask him what name he wanted to give to the boy. BSB BSB: So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 ENGPEV Zekariah got them to give him something to write on, and he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was shocked. BSB BSB: Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 ENGPEV Then, straight away, Zekariah started to talk again, and he told everyone that God is very great. BSB BSB: Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 ENGPEV The people there never saw God do things like that before. They were really surprised. They told other people about everything that happened, and soon a lot of people in the hilly part of Judea country were talking about it. BSB BSB: All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.
66 ENGPEV Everyone that heard the news thought about it, and they said, “After this kid grows up, what will he be?” They knew God was powerfully looking after that boy. 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 ENGPEV At that time, when Zekariah started talking again, the Holy Spirit came into him, and he told everyone a message from God. He said, BSB BSB: Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 ENGPEV “The God of us Israel mob, he is a great God. He came now to save us, his people. BSB BSB: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 ENGPEV He sent us a very strong person, to save us. You know about David, the big boss that worked for God a long time ago. Well, this person is in David’s family. BSB BSB: He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
70 ENGPEV God promised this to us a long time ago, and he got his men to tell us this message. BSB BSB: as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
71 ENGPEV God promised to save us from our enemies, and from everyone that hates us. BSB BSB: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 ENGPEV He did that because he felt sorry for our grand-fathers that lived a long time ago, and wanted to be good to them, and do everything that he promised. BSB BSB: to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 ENGPEV Yes, God will remember the things he promised to our grand-father Abraham. BSB BSB: the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 ENGPEV He promised to save us from our enemies, so we can work for him without being frightened. BSB BSB: deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 ENGPEV We can live God’s way and work for him in the right way, and we can do that all our lives.” BSB BSB: in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 ENGPEV Then Zekariah talked to his baby boy. He said, “This word is for you, my son. Everyone will know that you tell people messages from God. You will get things ready for God. 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 ENGPEV You will teach his people how God can say they are not guilty of the bad things they did, and then God will save them. BSB BSB: to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 ENGPEV You see, our God feels sorry for us, so he will do that for us. It will be like the sun coming up, bringing light from God. BSB BSB: because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 ENGPEV That light will shine for everybody. Some people are like they are in the dark. They think they will die soon. But that light will shine on everybody. It will show us how to live in a happy and quiet way.” 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 ENGPEV After that, baby John grew up to be a man, and God made his spirit strong. He went and lived out in the bush for years, until he started to tell the Israel people God’s messages. 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.