(Acts 1:1–3)
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Seeing that many took in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us,
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as they delivered to us, who from the beginning became eyewitnesses, and officers of the word,
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it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to you in order, most noble Theophilus,
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that you may know the certainty of the things wherein you were instructed.
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth
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There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the division of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth;
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and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the LORD blameless,
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and they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
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And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his division before God,
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according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make incense, having gone into the temple of the LORD,
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and all the multitude of the people were praying outside, at the hour of the incense.
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And there appeared to him a messenger of the LORD standing on the right side of the altar of the incense,
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and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him;
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and the messenger said to him, “Do not fear, Zacharias, for your supplication was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son to you, and you will call his name John,
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and there will be joy to you, and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
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for he will be great before the LORD, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and he will be full of the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb;
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and he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the LORD their God,
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and he will go before Him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to the wisdom of righteous ones, to make ready for the LORD, a people prepared.”
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And Zacharias said to the messenger, “Whereby will I know this? For I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?”
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And the messenger answering said to him, “I am Gabriel, who has been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak to you, and to proclaim this good news to you,
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and behold, you will be silent, and not able to speak, until the day that these things will come to pass, because you did not believe my words that will be fulfilled in their season.”
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And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondering at his lingering in the temple,
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and 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 beckoning to them, and remained mute.
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And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went away to his house,
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and after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
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“Thus the LORD has done to me, in days in which He looked on [me], to take away my reproach among men.”
Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth
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And in the sixth month the messenger Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which [is] Nazareth,
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to a virgin, betrothed to a man, whose name [is] Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin [is] Mary.
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And the messenger having come in to her, said, “Greetings, favored one, the LORD [is] with you; blessed [are] you among women”;
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and she, having seen, was troubled at his word, and was reasoning of what kind this salutation may be.
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And the messenger said to her, “Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God;
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and behold, you will conceive in the womb, and will bring forth a Son, and call His Name Jesus;
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He will be great, and He will be called Son of the Highest, and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David,
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and He will reign over the house of Jacob for all ages; and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
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And Mary said to the messenger, “How will this be, seeing I do not know a husband?”
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And the messenger answering said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, therefore also the holy-begotten thing will be called Son of God;
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and behold, Elizabeth, your relative, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called barren;
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because nothing will be impossible with God.”
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And Mary said, “Behold, the maidservant of the LORD; let it be to me according to your saying,” and the messenger went away from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
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And Mary having arisen in those days, went into the hill-country, with haste, to a city of Judea,
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and entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth.
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And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the baby leapt in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
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and spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the Fruit of your womb;
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and from where [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord might come to me?
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For behold, when the voice of your salutation came to my ears, the baby in my womb leapt in gladness;
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and blessed [is] she who believed, for there will be a completion to the things spoken to her from the LORD.”
Mary’s Song
(1 Samuel 2:1–11)
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And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the LORD,
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And my spirit was glad on God my Savior,
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Because He looked on the lowliness of His maidservant, || For behold, from now on all the generations will call me blessed,
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For He who is mighty did great things to me, || And holy [is] His Name,
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And His kindness [is] to generations of generations, || To those fearing Him;
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He did powerfully with His arm, || He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,
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He brought down the mighty from thrones, || And He exalted the lowly,
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He filled the hungry with good, || And the rich He sent away empty;
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He has taken hold of His servant Israel, || To remember kindness,
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As He spoke to our fathers, || To Abraham and to his seed—throughout the age.”
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And Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.
The Birth of John the Baptist
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And to Elizabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bore a son,
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and the neighbors and her relatives heard that the LORD was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.
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And it came to pass, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias,
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and his mother answering said, “No, but he will be called John.”
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And they said to her, “There is none among your relatives who is called by this name,”
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and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,
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and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, “John is his name”; and they all wondered;
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and his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.
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And fear came on all those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,
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and all who heard laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” And the hand of the LORD was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
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And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
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“Blessed [is] the LORD, the God of Israel, || Because He looked on, || And worked redemption for His people,
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And raised a horn of salvation to us, || In the house of His servant David,
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As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, || Which have been from the age;
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Salvation from our enemies, || And out of the hand of all hating us,
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To do kindness with our fathers, || And to be mindful of His holy covenant,
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An oath that He swore to Abraham our father,
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To give to us, without fear, || Having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
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To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness || Before Him, all the days of our life.
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And you, child, || Prophet of the Highest will you be called; For you will go before the face of the LORD, || To prepare His ways.
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To give knowledge of salvation to His people || In forgiveness of their sins,
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Through the yearnings of our God, || In which the rising from on high looked on us,
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To give light to those sitting in darkness and death-shade, || To guide our feet to a way of peace.”
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And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit, and he was in the deserts until the day of his showing to Israel.
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