Dedication to Theophilus (Acts 1:1–3)
2 ULT just as the ones having been from the beginning eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us, BSB BSB: just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 ULT it seemed good to me also, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, to write for you an orderly 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 ULT so that you might know the certainty concerning the things that you have been taught. BSB BSB: so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth 6 ULT And they were both righteous in front of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. BSB BSB: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
7 ULT But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days. BSB BSB: But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
8 ULT And it happened that in his performing as priest before God, in the order of his division, BSB BSB: One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 ULT according to the custom of the priesthood, he came up by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to 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 ULT And the whole crowd of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. BSB BSB: And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
11 ULT Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side 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 ULT And Zechariah was troubled, having seen{ him}, and fear fell on him. BSB BSB: When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
13 ULT But the angel said to him,“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will 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 ULT And there will be joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. BSB BSB: He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 ULT For he will be great before the Lord, and he must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’ s womb. 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 ULT And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. BSB BSB: Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
18 ULT Then Zechariah said to the angel,“How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days.” 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 ULT And answering, the angel said to him,“I am Gabriel, the one standing before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring 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 ULT And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until that day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their 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 ULT And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delaying in the temple. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
22 ULT But having come out, he was not able to speak to them and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak. 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 ULT And it happened that, when the days of his priestly service were fulfilled, he went away to his home. BSB BSB: And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
24 ULT And after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, BSB BSB: After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,
25 ULT “Thus the Lord has done for me, in the days in which he looked upon{ me}, to take away my disgrace 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 ULT to a virgin engaged to a man whose name{ was} Joseph, of the house 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 ULT And coming to her, the angel said,“Rejoice, favored one! 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 ULT But she was troubled by the words and she was considering what kind of greeting this might be. BSB BSB: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 ULT And the angel said to her,“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. BSB BSB: So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 ULT And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will 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 ULT He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. 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 ULT And he will reign over the house of Jacob to eternity, and there will be no end of his kingship.” BSB BSB: and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
35 ULT And answering, the angel said to her,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one being 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 ULT And behold, your relative Elizabeth— she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her, the one 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 ULT For every word will not be impossible for God.” BSB BSB: For no word from God will ever fail.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 ULT Then Mary arose in those days{ and} went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, BSB BSB: In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
40 ULT and she entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. BSB BSB: where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 ULT And it happened that, when Elizabeth heard Mary’ s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped, 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 ULT And she exclaimed in a loud voice and said,“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. BSB BSB: In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 ULT And from where{ is} this to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? BSB BSB: And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 ULT For behold, as soon as the sound of your greeting was in my ears, the baby in my womb leaped 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 ULT And blessed{ is} the one having believed that there would be a fulfillment of the{ things that} had been spoken to 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 ULT and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. BSB BSB: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
49 ULT for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name{ is} holy, BSB BSB: For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 ULT and his mercy{ is} unto generation and generation to the ones fearing him. BSB BSB: His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 ULT He has done mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of 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 ULT He has thrown down rulers from their thrones and he has raised up the lowly. BSB BSB: He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 ULT He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent away empty. BSB BSB: He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 ULT He has helped Israel his servant, to remember his mercy, BSB BSB: He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 ULT as he spoke to our fathers— to Abraham and to his seed in the ages{ past}.” BSB BSB: as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56 ULT And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her house. BSB BSB: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist 57 ULT And the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth for her to deliver, and she gave birth to a son. BSB BSB: When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
58 ULT And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy to 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 ULT And it happened that, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call{ him} after the name of 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 ULT But answering, his mother said,“No. Rather, he will be called John.” BSB BSB: But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
61 ULT But they said to her,“There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” BSB BSB: They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
62 ULT Then they made signs to his father as to what he wanted to call him. BSB BSB: So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
63 ULT And asking for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying,“His name is John.” And they all were astonished. BSB BSB: Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 ULT Then immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue, 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 ULT And fear came on all the ones living around them, and all these matters were being talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea. BSB BSB: All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.
66 ULT And all the ones having heard stored in their hearts, saying,“What then will this child become?” For indeed 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 ULT And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, BSB BSB: Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 ULT “Blessed{ be} the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and has accomplished redemption for his people. BSB BSB: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 ULT And he has raised 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 ULT (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from eternity), BSB BSB: as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
71 ULT salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all the ones hating us; BSB BSB: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 ULT to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, BSB BSB: to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 ULT the oath that he swore to Abraham our father, to grant us BSB BSB: the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 ULT to serve him fearlessly, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies, BSB BSB: deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 ULT in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. BSB BSB: in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 ULT And indeed, you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his paths; 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 ULT to give the knowledge of salvation to his people through forgiveness of their sins, BSB BSB: to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 ULT because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the sunrise from on high will visit us, BSB BSB: because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 ULT to shine on the ones sitting in darkness and a shadow of death; to guide our feet into a path 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 ULT And the child was growing and was being strengthened in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance 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.