1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to set forth in order an account of those events which have been accomplished among us, 2Just as they were handed down to us from those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning, and ministers of the Word; 3It seemed good to me, having carefully investigated everything from the very first, to also write this orderly account to you, most excellent Theophilus, 4So that you might know the certainty of those things which you have been taught.

5In the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah; and his wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. 7But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were very old. 8And it happened, that while he (Zacharias) was serving God in his priest's office, 9As was the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter the Temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And while the incense was being burned inside, all the assembled worshippers were praying outside. 11And an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was startled, and fear gripped him. 13But the angel said to him, “Fear not, Zacharias; for your prayer has been heard; and your wife, Elizabeth, shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15For he shall be great in the eyes of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the godly, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18And Zacharias asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” 19And the angel answered, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I have been sent to speak to you, and to tell you this good news. 20And now you shall be dumb (mute), and unable to speak, until the day the child is born, because you did not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled at their appointed time.” 21And meanwhile, the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered why he stayed in the Temple so long. 22And when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived from his gestures that he had seen a vision in the Temple; but remained speechless. 23And when the days of his service were over, he returned to his own house. 24And after this, his wife, Elizabeth, conceived, and remained in seclusion for five months, saying, 25“The Lord has done this for me; in these days He has looked upon me, to take away my disgrace of having no children.”

26And in the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy), the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin espoused (pledged or engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28And the angel came to her, and said, “Hail, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.” 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his words, and wondered what sort of salutation (greeting) this might be. 30And the angel said to her, “Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31And you shall conceive, and give birth to a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give to Him the throne of His ancestor, David; 33And He shall reign over the descendants of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 34Then Mary asked the angel, “How shall this be, since I am a virgin?” 35And the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you; therefore the Baby that shall be born of you shall be holy and called the Son of God. 36And what is more, your cousin, Elizabeth, has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month of her pregnancy, who had also been called barren. 37For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” 38And Mary said, “Behold I am the handmaid (servant) of the Lord; may it be according to your word.” And the angel left her.

39And Mary arose at that time, and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah; 40And entered the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth. 41And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; 42And she exclaimed with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44For, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy in my womb. 45And blessed are you that believed that the Lord would fulfill His promise which was sent to her from the Lord.” 46And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord, 47And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 48For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden; for from now on, all generations shall call me blessed. 49For He that is mighty has done for me great things; and holy is His name. 50And His mercy extends to them that fear Him from generation to generation. 51He has demonstrated strength with His mighty deeds; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He has put down the mighty from their seats of power, and exalted those of low degree. 53He has filled the hungry with good things; and He has sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped His servant Israel, and remembered to be merciful, 55As He has promised to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his progeny forever.” 56And Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, then returned to her own home.

57Now when the time came that she should be delivered; Elizabeth brought forth a son. 58And her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her; and they rejoiced with her. 59And on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60But his mother responded and said, “Not so; but he shall be named John.” 61And they said to her, “There is no one among your kindred that is called by that name.” 62And they made signs to his father, to find out how he would have him named. 63And Zacharias asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all marveled. 64And his mouth was immediately opened, and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, and praised God. 65And all the neighbors and those present were filled with awe; and all these sayings were spread about throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66And all those that heard them laid them up in their hearts, wondering, “What manner of child shall this be?!” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67And his father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68“Praise be to the Lord God of Israel; because He has visited and redeemed His people, 69And He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant, David, 70As He said through His holy prophets, long ago; 71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from all that hate us; 72To show us the mercy He promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; 73The oath which He swore to our father Abraham, 74That He would grant to us, that we, being rescued from our enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives. 76And you, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you shall go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him; 77To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins, 78By the tender mercy of our God; by which the dayspring (sun-rise) from heaven on high shall break upon us, 79To shed light upon those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way (path) of peace.”

80And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, and lived in the deserts till the day he began his public ministry unto Israel.