God's New Bible

The Gospel According to St. Luke

Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic

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- Chapter 1 -

(Acts 1:1–3)
1
Dear Theophilus, Many people have written reports about the amazing events that have happened among us.
2
We heard about these things from people who saw them happen, from the time everything first started happening. These people taught others about God’s message.
3
I myself have carefully studied everything that these people wrote and taught. So I decided that it would also be good for me to write for you, noble Theophilus, an accurate account of these matters.
4
I am doing this so that you may know that what you have been taught about these things is true.

Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth

5
When King Herod ruled the province of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He belonged to the group of priests called the Abijah group. He and his wife Elizabeth were both descended from Aaron.
6
God considered that both of them were righteous, because they always obeyed without fault everything that God had commanded.
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But they had no children, because Elizabeth was unable to bear children. Furthermore, she and her husband were very old.
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One day Zechariah was serving as a priest in the temple in Jerusalem during his group’s regular time of service there.
9
Following their custom, the priests chose him by lot to go into the Lord’s temple and burn incense.
10
When the time came for him to burn the incense, many people were praying in the courtyard outside the temple.
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Then an angel whom the Lord had sent appeared to him. The angel was standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
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When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became very afraid.
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But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid! When you prayed, God heard your request. So your wife Elizabeth will bear a son for you. You must name him John.
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You will be very happy, and many other people will also be happy because he is born.
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God will consider him to be very important. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink. He will be empowered by the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
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He will persuade many descendants of Israel to stop sinning and start obeying Lord God again.
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Your son will go in advance of the Lord as his forerunner and will be powerful in his spirit like the prophet Elijah was. He will cause parents to love their children again. He will cause many people who do not obey God to live wisely and to obey him as righteous people do. He will do this in order to cause many people to be ready when the Lord comes.”
18
Then Zechariah said to the angel, “I am very old, and my wife is also very old. So how can I believe that the things you said will really happen?”
19
Then the angel said to him, “I am Gabriel! I stand in God’s presence! I was sent to tell you this good news about what will happen to you.
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What I have told you will certainly happen at the time God has decided, but you did not believe my words. So now God will cause you to be unable to talk until the day your son is born!”
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While Zechariah and the angel were talking in the temple, the people in the courtyard were waiting for Zechariah to come out. They wondered why he was staying in the temple for such a long time.
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When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. Because he could not talk, he made motions with his hands to try to explain what had happened. Then they realized that he had seen a vision from God while he was in the temple.
23
When Zechariah’s time to work as a priest in the temple was finished, he left Jerusalem and went to his home.
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Some time after this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, but she did not go out in public for five months.
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She said to herself, “The Lord has enabled me to become pregnant. In this way, he had compassion on me and has taken away the reason that people looked down on me!”

Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth

26
When Elizabeth had been pregnant for almost six months, God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in the district of Galilee.
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He went there to speak to a virgin who was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
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The angel said to her, “Greetings! The Lord is with you and has shown great kindness to you!”
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But Mary felt very troubled when she heard his greeting. She wondered what the angel meant by these words.
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Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have received favor from God!
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You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you must name him Jesus.
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He will be great and will be called the Son of Most High God. Lord God will make him a king over his people as his ancestor David was.
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He will rule forever over the descendants of Jacob. He will rule forever!”
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Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this happen, since I am a virgin?”
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The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come to you and the power of God will cover you. So the baby you will bear will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
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And listen to this. Your relative Elizabeth is pregnant with a son, even though she is very old. And though people thought that she could not bear children, she has now been pregnant for almost six months.
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For God can do anything!”
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Then Mary said, “All right, I am the Lord’s servant, so let what you have said about me happen!” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39
Very soon after that, Mary got ready and went quickly to the highlands of Judea, to the city where Zechariah lived.
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She entered his house and greeted his wife Elizabeth.
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As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary greet her, the baby leaped inside Elizabeth’s womb. Immediately the Holy Spirit guided Elizabeth to start praising God.
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She exclaimed loudly to Mary, “God has blessed you more than he has blessed other women, and he has blessed the baby you will bear!
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How wonderful it is that you, the mother of my Lord, have come to me!
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As soon as I heard you greet me, the baby in my womb leaped because he was so happy that you had come!
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You are blessed because you believed that what the Lord told you would come true.”

Mary’s Song

(1 Samuel 2:1–11)
46
Then Mary praised God by saying: “Oh, how I praise the Lord!
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I feel very joyful about God, who is the one who saves me.
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I was only his lowly servant girl, but he did not forget me. So from now on, people living in all time periods will say that God has blessed me.
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They will say this because of the great things that God, the Powerful One, has done for me. His name is holy!
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He acts mercifully from one generation to the next toward those who respect him.
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He shows people that he is very powerful. He scatters those who think proudly within their inner beings.
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He has stopped kings from ruling, and he has honored people who are oppressed.
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He has given good things to eat to those who are hungry, and he has sent away rich people without giving them anything.
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He has helped Israel, the people who serve him. Long ago he promised our ancestors that he would be merciful to them.
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He has kept that promise and has always acted mercifully toward Abraham and all who descended from him.”
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Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57
When it was time for Elizabeth to bear her child, she bore a son.
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Her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had been so kind to her, and they were happy along with Elizabeth.
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On the eighth day after this, people gathered together for the ceremony to circumcise the baby. Since his father’s name was Zechariah, they wanted to give the baby the same name.
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But his mother said, “No, his name must be John!”
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So they said to her, “But John is not the name of any of your relatives!”
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Then they made motions with their hands to his father, for him to indicate what name he wanted to be given to his son.
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So he signaled that they should give him a tablet to write on. When they gave him one, he wrote on it, “His name is John.” All those who were there were surprised!
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Immediately Zechariah was able to speak again, and he began praising God.
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Everyone who lived nearby was completely awed by what God had done. They told many other people about what had happened and the news spread all over the highlands of Judea.
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Everyone who heard it kept thinking about it. They were saying, “We wonder what work this child will do when he grows up!” Because of everything that had happened, they were sure that God would be helping him in a powerful way.

Zechariah’s Song

67
After Zechariah’s son was born, Zechariah was controlled by the Holy Spirit and he spoke these words from God:
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“Praise Lord God whom we people of Israel worship, because he has come to set us, his people, free.
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He is sending us someone who will powerfully save us, someone who is descended from his servant, King David.
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Long ago God caused his prophets to say that he would do that.
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This powerful Savior will rescue us from our enemies, and he will save us from the power of all those who hate us.
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He has done this because he is merciful to our ancestors and remembers his holy covenant,
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which is the oath that he promised to our ancestor Abraham.
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God promised to rescue us from the power of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without being afraid,
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in holy and righteous ways all of our lives.
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Then Zechariah said this to his baby son: “My child, you will be called a prophet of Most High God. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare a people to be ready when he comes.
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You will tell people that God is able to forgive them and save them from being punished for their sins.
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God will forgive us because he is kind and merciful to us. And because of that, this Savior, who is like the rising sun, will come to us from heaven to help us.
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He will shine on people who live in spiritual darkness and in the fear of death. He will guide us so that we will live peacefully.
80
Over time, Zechariah and Elizabeth’s baby boy grew up and became spiritually strong. Then he lived in a desolate region and was still living there when he began to preach publicly to God’s people, Israel.
(Acts 1:1–3)
1
Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,
2
even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,
3
it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;
4
that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth

5
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6
They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
7
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
8
Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division
9
according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10
The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
11
An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12
Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
13
But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
14
You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mothers womb.
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He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’(a) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”
18
Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
19
The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20
Behold,(b) you will be silent and not able to speak until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
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The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.
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When he came out, he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.
23
When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.
24
After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,
25
Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth

26
Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
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to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.
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Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
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But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.
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The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
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Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name himJesus.’
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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,
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and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”
34
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
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The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.
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Behold, Elizabeth your relative also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
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For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”(c)
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Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39
Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,
40
and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
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When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
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She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
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Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
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For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy!
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Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!”

Mary’s Song

(1 Samuel 2:1–11)
46
Mary said,My soul magnifies the Lord.
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My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
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for he has looked at the humble state of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
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For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.
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His mercy is for generations and generations on those who fear him.
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He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
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He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.
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He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.
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He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,
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as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring(d) forever.”
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Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57
Now the time that Elizabeth should give birth was fulfilled, and she gave birth to a son.
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Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.
59
On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
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His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called John.”
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They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”
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They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
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He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” They all marveled.
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His mouth was opened immediately and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God.
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Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.
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All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” The hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

67
His father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
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Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people;
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and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
70
(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),
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salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
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to show mercy toward our fathers, to remember his holy covenant,
73
the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
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to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear,
75
in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
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And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; 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 by the remission of their sins,
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because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will visit us,
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to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80
The child was growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Footnotes

(a)1:17 ℘ Malachi 4:6
(b)1:20 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
(c)1:37 or, “For everything spoken by God is possible.”
(d)1:55 or, seed