English Standard Version

Greek Study Bible

1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,

1Ἐπειδήπερ πολλοὶ ἐπεχείρησαν ἀνατάξασθαι διήγησιν περὶ τῶν πεπληροφορημένων ἐν ἡμῖν πραγμάτων

2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,

2καθὼς παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν οἱ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται γενόμενοι τοῦ λόγου

3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

3ἔδοξε κἀμοὶ παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς καθεξῆς σοι γράψαι κράτιστε Θεόφιλε

4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

4ἵνα ἐπιγνῷς περὶ ὧν κατηχήθης λόγων τὴν ἀσφάλειαν

5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

5Ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου βασιλέως τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἱερεύς τις ὀνόματι Ζαχαρίας ἐξ ἐφημερίας Ἀβιά καὶ γυνὴ αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν θυγατέρων Ἀαρών καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Ἐλισάβετ

6And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

6ἦσαν δὲ δίκαιοι ἀμφότεροι ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ πορευόμενοι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς καὶ δικαιώμασιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἄμεμπτοι

7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

7καὶ οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τέκνον καθότι ἦν ἡ Ἐλισάβετ στεῖρα καὶ ἀμφότεροι προβεβηκότες ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν ἦσαν

8Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,

8Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ ἱερατεύειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ τάξει τῆς ἐφημερίας αὐτοῦ ἔναντι τοῦ Θεοῦ

9according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

9κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἱερατείας ἔλαχε τοῦ θυμιᾶσαι εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Κυρίου

10And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

10καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος ἦν τοῦ λαοῦ προσευχόμενον ἔξω τῇ ὥρᾳ τοῦ θυμιάματος

11And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

11Ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος

12And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

12καὶ ἐταράχθη Ζαχαρίας ἰδών καὶ φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν

13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

13Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ἄγγελος Μὴ φοβοῦ Ζαχαρία διότι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου καὶ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει υἱόν σοι καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην

14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

14καὶ ἔσται χαρά σοι καὶ ἀγαλλίασις καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει αὐτοῦ χαρήσονται

15for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

15ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον ‹τοῦ› Κυρίου καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ καὶ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ

16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

16καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστρέψει ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν

17and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

17καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει Ἠλίου ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἀπειθεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων ἑτοιμάσαι Κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον

18And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

18Καὶ εἶπεν Ζαχαρίας πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον Κατὰ τί γνώσομαι τοῦτο ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι πρεσβύτης καὶ ἡ γυνή μου προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς

19And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

19Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἐγώ εἰμι Γαβριὴλ ὁ παρεστηκὼς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρὸς σὲ καὶ εὐαγγελίσασθαί σοι ταῦτα

20And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

20καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔσῃ σιωπῶν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας γένηται ταῦτα ἀνθ’ ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστευσας τοῖς λόγοις μου οἵτινες πληρωθήσονται εἰς τὸν καιρὸν αὐτῶν

21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.

21Καὶ ἦν ὁ λαὸς προσδοκῶν τὸν Ζαχαρίαν καὶ ἐθαύμαζον ἐν τῷ χρονίζειν ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτόν

22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.

22ἐξελθὼν δὲ οὐκ ἐδύνατο λαλῆσαι αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν ὅτι ὀπτασίαν ἑώρακεν ἐν τῷ ναῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν διανεύων αὐτοῖς καὶ διέμενεν κωφός

23And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

23καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς λειτουργίας αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ

24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,

24Μετὰ δὲ ταύτας τὰς ἡμέρας συνέλαβεν Ἐλισάβετ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ περιέκρυβεν ἑαυτὴν μῆνας πέντε λέγουσα

25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

25ὅτι Οὕτως μοι πεποίηκεν Κύριος ἐν ἡμέραις αἷς ἐπεῖδεν ἀφελεῖν ὄνειδός μου ἐν ἀνθρώποις

26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

26Ἐν δὲ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ᾗ ὄνομα Ναζαρὲθ

27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

27πρὸς παρθένον ἐμνηστευμένην ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ οἴκου Δαυὶδ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς παρθένου Μαριάμ

28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

28καὶ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπεν Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ ⧼εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν⧽

29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

29Ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ διεταράχθη καὶ διελογίζετο ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος

30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

30καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἄγγελος αὐτῇ Μὴ φοβοῦ Μαριάμ εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ

31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

31καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήμψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν

32He 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,

32οὗτος ἔσται μέγας καὶ Υἱὸς Ὑψίστου κληθήσεται καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν θρόνον Δαυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ

33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

33καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος

34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

34Εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω

35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

35Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῇ Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται Υἱὸς Θεοῦ

36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

36καὶ ἰδοὺ Ἐλισάβετ ἡ συγγενίς σου καὶ αὐτὴ συνείληφεν υἱὸν ἐν γήρει αὐτῆς καὶ οὗτος μὴν ἕκτος ἐστὶν αὐτῇ τῇ καλουμένῃ στείρᾳ

37For nothing will be impossible with God.”

37ὅτι οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πᾶν ῥῆμα

38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

38Εἶπεν δὲ Μαριάμ Ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη Κυρίου γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’ αὐτῆς ὁ ἄγγελος

39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

39Ἀναστᾶσα δὲ Μαριὰμ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἐπορεύθη εἰς τὴν ὀρεινὴν μετὰ σπουδῆς εἰς πόλιν Ἰούδα

40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

40καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ζαχαρίου καὶ ἠσπάσατο τὴν Ἐλισάβετ

41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

41καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσεν τὸν ἀσπασμὸν τῆς Μαρίας ἡ Ἐλισάβετ ἐσκίρτησεν τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπλήσθη Πνεύματος Ἁγίου ἡ Ἐλισάβετ

42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

42καὶ ἀνεφώνησεν κραυγῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ εἶπεν Εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου

43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

43καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο ἵνα ἔλθῃ ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Κυρίου μου πρὸς ἐμέ

44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

44ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὡς ἐγένετο ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ σου εἰς τὰ ὦτά μου ἐσκίρτησεν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ μου

45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

45καὶ μακαρία ἡ πιστεύσασα ὅτι ἔσται τελείωσις τοῖς λελαλημένοις αὐτῇ παρὰ Κυρίου

46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

46Καὶ εἶπεν Μαριάμ Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον

47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

47καὶ ἠγαλλίασεν τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ Σωτῆρί μου

48for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

48ὅτι ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦσίν με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί

49for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

49ὅτι ἐποίησέν μοι μεγάλα ὁ δυνατός καὶ ἅγιον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ

50And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

50καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰς καὶ γενεὰς τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν

51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

51Ἐποίησεν κράτος ἐν βραχίονι αὐτοῦ διεσκόρπισεν ὑπερηφάνους διανοίᾳ καρδίας αὐτῶν

52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

52καθεῖλεν δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων καὶ ὕψωσεν ταπεινούς

53he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

53πεινῶντας ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν καὶ πλουτοῦντας ἐξαπέστειλεν κενούς

54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

54ἀντελάβετο Ἰσραὴλ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ μνησθῆναι ἐλέους

55as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

55καθὼς ἐλάλησεν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

56And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

56Ἔμεινεν δὲ Μαριὰμ σὺν αὐτῇ ὡς μῆνας τρεῖς καὶ ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆς

57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.

57Τῇ δὲ Ἐλισάβετ ἐπλήσθη ὁ χρόνος τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτήν καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱόν

58And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

58καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ περίοικοι καὶ οἱ συγγενεῖς αὐτῆς ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνεν Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτῆς καὶ συνέχαιρον αὐτῇ

59And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,

59Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἦλθον περιτεμεῖν τὸ παιδίον καὶ ἐκάλουν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ζαχαρίαν

60but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”

60καὶ ἀποκριθεῖσα ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν Οὐχί ἀλλὰ κληθήσεται Ἰωάννης

61And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”

61Καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτὴν ὅτι Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου ὃς καλεῖται τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ

62And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.

62ἐνένευον δὲ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ τί ἂν θέλοι καλεῖσθαι αὐτό

63And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.

63Καὶ αἰτήσας πινακίδιον ἔγραψεν λέγων Ἰωάννης ἐστὶν ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐθαύμασαν πάντες

64And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

64ἀνεῴχθη δὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ παραχρῆμα καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλει εὐλογῶν τὸν Θεόν

65And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,

65Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ πάντας φόβος τοὺς περιοικοῦντας αὐτούς καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ὀρεινῇ τῆς Ἰουδαίας διελαλεῖτο πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα

66and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

66καὶ ἔθεντο πάντες οἱ ἀκούσαντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν λέγοντες Τί ἄρα τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο ἔσται καὶ γὰρ χεὶρ Κυρίου ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ

67And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

67Καὶ Ζαχαρίας ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐπλήσθη Πνεύματος Ἁγίου καὶ ἐπροφήτευσεν λέγων

68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

68Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ὅτι ἐπεσκέψατο καὶ ἐποίησεν λύτρωσιν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ

69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

69καὶ ἤγειρεν κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμῖν ἐν οἴκῳ Δαυὶδ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ

70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

70καθὼς ἐλάλησεν διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων ἀπ’ αἰῶνος προφητῶν αὐτοῦ

71that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;

71σωτηρίαν ἐξ ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν μισούντων ἡμᾶς

72to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

72ποιῆσαι ἔλεος μετὰ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν καὶ μνησθῆναι διαθήκης ἁγίας αὐτοῦ

73the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

73ὅρκον ὃν ὤμοσεν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν τοῦ δοῦναι ἡμῖν

74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

74ἀφόβως ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν ῥυσθέντας λατρεύειν αὐτῷ

75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

75ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πάσαις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἡμῶν

76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

76Καὶ σὺ δέ παιδίον προφήτης Ὑψίστου κληθήσῃ προπορεύσῃ γὰρ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἑτοιμάσαι ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ

77to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,

77τοῦ δοῦναι γνῶσιν σωτηρίας τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀφέσει ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν

78because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

78διὰ σπλάγχνα ἐλέους Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐν οἷς ἐπισκέψεται ἡμᾶς ἀνατολὴ ἐξ ὕψους

79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

79ἐπιφᾶναι τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις τοῦ κατευθῦναι τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν εἰς ὁδὸν εἰρήνης

80And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

80Τὸ δὲ παιδίον ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο πνεύματι καὶ ἦν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις ἕως ἡμέρας ἀναδείξεως αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Greek and Hebrew Study Bible courtesy Bible Hub and the Discovery Bible team.