The Good News by Luke 1

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Preface*

1 Many people have undertaken to record an account of the events that took place among us, 2 just as it was delivered to us [by] the first eyewitnesses and ministers of the message.* 3 Therefore, since I myself have investigated everything carefully from the beginning, I thought that I too should write it out in an orderly manner for you, dear Beloved of God,* 4 so you can know that the matters you learned about have a sound basis.

Gabriel Brings Good News to Zechariah

5 In the days of Herod,* king of the region of Judea,* there was a priest* named Zechariah who was from the division of Abiya.* His wife was from the lineage of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, complying with all his commandments and requirements in a blameless manner. 7 However, they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

8 One time, Zechariah was performing the rites of worship during his division's shift as a priest before God. 9 The lot fell to him, according to the custom that the priests followed, to go into the Temple of God and burn the incense.* 10 A multitude of the people were all praying outside at the time of the burning of the incense. 11 Then an angel of God appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.* 12 Zechariah was shaken when he saw him and was very frightened.

13 So the angel said to him, “Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your supplication, and so your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 He will be great in God's [sight]. He will not drink wine or anything intoxicating, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit* [from the time] he is in his mother's womb. 16 He will turn back many of the Children of Israel to the Lord* their God. 17 He will move in the presence of the Lord with the power of the Spirit of God who was in Elijah, to turn back the hearts of fathers to their children, and disobedient people to wisdom and righteousness, and thus prepare for our Lord* a people who are ready.”*

18 Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years!” 19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel; I stand in the presence of God. He sent me to speak to you and convey to you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day on which this happens, because you did not believe what I said, which [nevertheless] will be fulfilled in its time.”

21 [Meanwhile] the people were waiting for Zechariah and were wondering at his delay inside the Temple of God. 22 When he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the Temple of God. He was addressing them with gestures and remained mute.

23 When the days of his ministry finished, he returned home. 24 Then his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she hid [her pregnancy] for five months. She said, 25 “My Lord has done this for me! In these days, he has blessed me and removed from me [my] shame among people.”

Gabriel Brings Good News to the Virgin

26 In the sixth month,* God sent the angel Gabriel to a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee,* 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, who was from the lineage of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 He came and said to her, “Peace, you whom [God] has blessed! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was shaken by what he said, and she began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 30 The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary, because God is pleased with you. 31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus.* 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and God will give him the throne of his forefather David.* 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob* forever; there will never be an end to his reign!”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How is this possible, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit* will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For this reason, the holy one* to be born will be called the Son of God.* 36 Furthermore, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son, [even though] she is advanced in years. She whom they were calling barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible for God.” 38 Then Mary said, “I am a servant of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time, Mary set out and went quickly to the hills, to a town in Judea. 40 She entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby jumped in her belly, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She exclaimed at the top of her voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the son whom you will give birth to. 43 This is a great honor for me, that the mother of my Master should visit me. 44 For when your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my belly jumped for joy. 45 How fortunate for you who believed that what God said to you would be fulfilled.”

Mary's Hymn

46 Then Mary said, “With all my heart I praise my Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on me — me, his lowly servant. So from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because the Almighty has done great things for me. His name is holy, 50 and his mercy [extends] in every generation to those who revere him. 51 With his arm* he has done great deeds. He has scattered those who are proud in their thoughts and hearts; 52 he has removed the rulers from their thrones and lifted up those who are humble. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. 54 He has helped the Children of Israel, his servants, in fulfillment of his covenant to show mercy 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he said to our forefathers.” 56 Mary stayed with [Elizabeth] about three months and then returned to her home.

The Birth of John Son of Zechariah

57 As for Elizabeth, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that God had showered her with his mercy, and they rejoiced with her. 59 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father, 60 but his mother said, “No! We're naming him John instead!” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 And they gestured to his father to find out what he wanted to name him. 63 So he requested a writing tablet and wrote on it, “His name is John.” And everyone was surprised. 64 Immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened, and his tongue was released; he began to speak and praise God. 65 The neighbors were filled with fear, and people were talking about all these matters throughout the hills of Judea. 66 All who heard [of this] were wondering [about it] and saying, “What do you think this child is going to be?” For the hand of God* was with him.

Zechariah's Hymn

67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed is God, Lord of the Children of Israel, for he has come to our aid and [provided] our redemption. 69 He has raised up for us a mighty Savior from the house of his servant David,* 70 just as he said through his righteous prophets long ago, 71 to save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us. 72 In this way he shows his mercy toward our forefathers and fulfills his sacred covenant.* 73 For he swore an oath to our forefather Abraham, 74 that he would rescue us from the hands of our enemies so that we can worship him without fear 75 and can live our whole life long in piety and righteousness in his presence.

76 And you, my child,* will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go ahead* in the presence of the Lord to prepare his ways. 77 You will teach his people that salvation [comes] through the forgiveness of their sins.* 78 Our God is merciful and compassionate; therefore, he will visit us with a sunrise from on high,* 79 to illuminate those who live in darkness and in deep gloom and guide our feet in the way of peace.”

80 The child kept growing and becoming strong in the Spirit, and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to the Children of Israel.

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Definitions

 *1:1 The section headings and footnotes are not part of the revealed text. They are included as an aid to the reader.

 *1:2 the first eyewitnesses and ministers of the message: a reference to the companions of Jesus (الحواريون), whom he sent out to declare the good news of the Gospel.

 *1:3 Beloved of God: a translation of the Greek word theophilos.

 *1:5 days of Herod: the time shortly before the death of King Herod the Great. He ruled the region of Judea as a client king for the Romans from 37 BC until he died in 4 BC.

 *1:5 Judea: a client kingdom of the Roman Empire, with its capital at Jerusalem. It was named after a smaller region once called Judah, later called Judea, which was inhabited by the descendants of Judah son of the prophet Jacob. In AD 135, the Roman government made the territory of this kingdom into a province called Palestine.

 *1:5 priest: a man who mediates between God and people by making offerings and prayers to God on their behalf. Among the Children of Israel, the priests were descendants of the prophet Aaron and conducted these services in the Temple of God in Jerusalem, according to what God commanded in the Torah.

 *1:5 the division of Abiya: the priests who were descendants of the priest Abiya. He was a descendant of the prophet Aaron, who was the first high priest among the Children of Israel. Priests from this division served in the Temple of God for two weeks out of every year.

 *1:9 the Temple of God: the building on the Temple Mount (الحرم الشريف al-Haram al-Sharif) in Jerusalem in which God said he would be present in a special way. The Temple was built by the prophet King Solomon during the period from 966 BC to 959 BC. Believers everywhere faced the Temple of God when praying. No one was allowed to enter the Temple except for the priests on duty, who entered it to burn incense in honor of God or to put oil in the lamps or bread on the offering table. The Temple of God was surrounded by a walled courtyard where priests offered sacrifices on a large altar. This was surrounded by three more courtyards where people gathered to pray and to listen to teachers. For more information, see Temple complex and Temple interior.

 *1:11 altar of incense: a platform on which a person burns incense in honor of God. See the picture.

 *1:15 the Holy Spirit: the personal presence and power of God himself, through whom he guides and inspires the prophets and empowers them to live according to his commandments.

 *1:16 the Lord: The Arabic phrase المولى can also be translated as the Sovereign Lord.

 *1:17 our Lord: The Arabic phrase ربّنا can also be translated as our Sustainer.

 *1:17 Elijah: the prophet Elijah, who lived in the ninth century BC. The angel Gabriel echoed the words of God spoken through the prophet Malachi (4:5-6): “I will send you the prophet Elijah before the day of the Lord comes, that great and fearful day, and he will turn back the hearts of fathers to their children.”

 *1:26 the sixth month: the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.

 *1:26 Galilee: the region south of Lebanon and north of Samaria.

 *1:31 Jesus: In the Hebrew language his name means salvation from God or savior sent from God.

 *1:32 throne of David: the authority to rule that God had given to the prophet David and had promised to give to his descendant the Messiah. God foretold in the Book of Psalms (89:29; 110:1; 132:11) and in the Writings of the Prophets (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5-6) that the coming Messiah would be a descendant of King David and would save and rule God's people. In the Book of Psalms (89:27), God said of David and the Messiah, “I will make him my first son, higher than the kings of the earth,” meaning خَلِيفَةُ اللهِ فِي الأَرْضِ khalīfatu llāhi fī l-'arḍ. It is also written in the Book of Psalms (2:7) that when God installed David as king to rule his people, he said, “You are my son; today I have empowered you as a son to me.” See family in the glossary. The Hebrew word for “son” is used more broadly than the Arabic word ابن, which means a biological son, and in this verse it has the sense of خَلِيفَةُ اللهِ. So in this verse Gabriel is saying the Messiah will receive the throne of King David and like David he will be called the Son of the Most High. This latter phrase has additional meanings, as seen in what follows.

 *1:33 the house of Jacob: the descendants of Jacob son of Isaac son of Abraham. Jacob is also called Israel, and so his descendants are also called the Children of Israel. However, in this verse the phrase house of Jacob means all who worship God, as the prophet Jacob did. In other words, Gabriel is announcing that the Messiah, the Son of Mary, will be King in place of his forefather David and will rule forever over all believers.

 *1:35 the Holy Spirit: the personal presence and power of God himself. Gabriel is saying that God by his power will cause a holy human embryo to form inside the womb of the Virgin Mary. See Gospel, John 1:14-18, where it says “the Word [of God] became human and lived among us.”

 *1:35 holy one: one who does no wrong and is without any sin of any kind. Gabriel gives this as a second reason why Jesus will be called God's Son, namely that he is holy and pleasing to God.

 *1:35 Son of God: Jesus was born without a biological father by a miracle of God. Gabriel gives this as a third reason why Jesus will be called “God's Son.” At Luke 3:38 Adam is called God's son for the same reason. A fourth reason is given in Luke 10:22, namely that the Messiah is the mediator between God and man. A fifth reason is given in the Gospel, John 1:14, namely that the Messiah is the Word of God who became man (by being born of the Virgin Mary), but that reason is not in focus in this passage. See family in the glossary.

 *1:51 with his arm: This translates a phrase which is used in the original languages to mean God's power to rescue people. In English the word arm is not normally used in this way.

 *1:66 the hand of God: the active presence of God. Just as a human hand can select a pen and write with it, so God chose John and was directing events in his life, beginning with the angel's announcement and John's miraculous conception.

 *1:69 from the house of his servant David: a descendant of the prophet David, whom God chose as king to guide and rule his people. The prophet Zechariah is speaking about the Messiah, not about his son John, who was a descendant of the high priest Aaron.

 *1:72 covenant: “an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return” (WordNet Dictionary). The reference is to God's covenant with Abraham. See Torah, Genesis 17.

 *1:76 my child: The prophet Zechariah is now speaking to his son John.

 *1:76 ahead: in other words, ahead of the coming Messiah.

 *1:77 sins: violations of God's commandments, whether in deed or thought or disposition. According to the Torah of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18) and the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah (Luke 10:27), the most important commandment is to love God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and ability, and the second is to love others as one loves oneself. Any shortcoming in these relationships is a called a sin.

 *1:78 a sunrise from on high: This is a reference to the Messiah, meaning he will bring truth from God.