| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, | 1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, |
| 2Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; | 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. |
| 3It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, | 3With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, |
| 4That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. | 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. |
| 5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. | 5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. |
| 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. | 6Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. |
| 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. | 7But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. |
| 8And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, | 8Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, |
| 9According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. | 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. |
| 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. | 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. |
| 11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. | 11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. |
| 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. | 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. |
| 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. | 13But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. |
| 14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. | 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, |
| 15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. | 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. |
| 16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. | 16He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. |
| 17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. | 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." |
| 18And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. | 18Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." |
| 19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. | 19The angel said to him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. |
| 20And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. | 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time." |
| 21And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. | 21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. |
| 22And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. | 22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. |
| 23And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. | 23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. |
| 24And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, | 24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. |
| 25Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. | 25"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." |
| 26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, | 26In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, |
| 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. | 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. |
| 28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. | 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." |
| 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. | 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. |
| 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. | 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. |
| 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. | 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. |
| 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: | 32He 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, |
| 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. | 33and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." |
| 34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? | 34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" |
| 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. | 35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on 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. |
| 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. | 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. |
| 37For with God nothing shall be impossible. | 37For no word from God will ever fail." |
| 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. | 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. |
| 39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; | 39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, |
| 40And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. | 40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. |
| 41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: | 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. |
| 42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. | 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! |
| 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? | 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? |
| 44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. | 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. |
| 45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. | 45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" |
| 46And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, | 46And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord |
| 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. | 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, |
| 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. | 48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, |
| 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. | 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. |
| 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. | 50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. |
| 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. | 51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. |
| 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. | 52He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. |
| 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. | 53He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. |
| 54He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; | 54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful |
| 55As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. | 55to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors." |
| 56And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. | 56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. |
| 57Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. | 57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. |
| 58And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. | 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. |
| 59And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. | 59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, |
| 60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. | 60but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John." |
| 61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. | 61They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name." |
| 62And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. | 62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. |
| 63And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. | 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." |
| 64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. | 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. |
| 65And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. | 65All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. |
| 66And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. | 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him. |
| 67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, | 67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: |
| 68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, | 68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. |
| 69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; | 69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David |
| 70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: | 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), |
| 71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; | 71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- |
| 72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; | 72to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, |
| 73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, | 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham: |
| 74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, | 74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear |
| 75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. | 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. |
| 76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; | 76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, |
| 77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, | 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, |
| 78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, | 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven |
| 79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. | 79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." |
| 80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel. | 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. |
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