1:1Forasmuch as many have undertaken to draw up a relation concerning the matters fully believed among us,

1:2as those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses of and attendants on the Word have delivered them to us,

1:3it has seemed good to *me* also, accurately acquainted from the origin with all things, to write to thee with method, most excellent Theophilus,

1:4that thou mightest know the certainty of those things in which thou hast been instructed.

1:5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.

1:6And they were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

1:7And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

1:8And it came to pass, as he fulfilled his priestly service before God in the order of his course,

1:9it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense.

1:10And all the multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.

1:11And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right of the altar of incense.

1:12And Zacharias was troubled, seeing him, and fear fell upon him.

1:13But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias, because thy supplication has been heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

1:14And he shall be to thee joy and rejoicing, and many shall rejoice at his birth.

1:15For he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

1:16And many of the sons of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

1:17And *he* shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to the thoughts of just men, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.

1:18And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this, for *I* am an old man, and my wife advanced in years?

1:19And the angel answering, said to him, *I* am Gabriel, who stand before God, and I have been sent to speak to thee, and to bring these glad tidings to thee;

1:20and behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, till the day in which these things shall take place, because thou hast not believed my words, the which shall be fulfilled in their time.

1:21And the people were awaiting Zacharias, and they wondered at his delaying in the temple.

1:22But when he came out he could not speak to them, and they recognised that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was making signs to them, and continued dumb.

1:23And it came to pass, when the days of his service were completed, he departed to his house.

1:24Now after these days, Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

1:25Thus has the Lord done to me in these days in which he looked upon me to take away my reproach among men.

1:26But in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent of God to a city of Galilee, of which the name was Nazareth,

1:27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

1:28And the angel came in to her, and said, Hail, thou favoured one! the Lord is with thee: blessed art *thou* amongst women.

1:29But she, seeing the angel, was troubled at his word, and reasoned in her mind what this salutation might be.

1:30And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God;

1:31and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

1:32*He* shall be great, and shall be called Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father;

1:33and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for the ages, and of his kingdom there shall not be an end.

1:34But Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a man?

1:35And the angel answering said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and power of the Highest overshadow thee, wherefore the holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God.

1:36And behold, Elizabeth, thy kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her that was called barren:

1:37for nothing shall be impossible with God.

1:38And Mary said, Behold the bondmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

1:39And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

1:40and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth.

1:41And it came to pass, as Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

1:42and cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed art *thou* amongst women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb.

1:43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

1:44For behold, as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the babe leaped with joy in my womb.

1:45And blessed is she that has believed, for there shall be a fulfilment of the things spoken to her from the Lord.

1:46And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,

1:47and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.

1:48For he has looked upon the low estate of his bondmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

1:49For the Mighty One has done to me great things, and holy is his name;

1:50and his mercy is to generations and generations to them that fear him.

1:51He has wrought strength with his arm; he has scattered haughty ones in the thought of their heart.

1:52He has put down rulers from thrones, and exalted the lowly.

1:53He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich empty.

1:54He has helped Israel his servant, in order to remember mercy,

1:55(as he spoke to our fathers,) to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

1:56And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her house.

1:57But the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth that she should bring forth, and she gave birth to a son.

1:58And her neighbours and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her.

1:59And it came to pass on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called it after the name of his father, Zacharias.

1:60And his mother answering said, No; but he shall be called John.

1:61And they said to her, There is no one among thy kinsfolk who is called by this name.

1:62And they made signs to his father as to what he might wish it to be called.

1:63And having asked for a writing-table, he wrote saying, John is his name. And they all wondered.

1:64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue, and he spake, blessing God.

1:65And fear came upon all who dwelt round about them; and in the whole hill-country of Judaea all these things were the subject of conversation.

1:66And all who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then will this child be? And the Lord's hand was with him.

1:67And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

1:68Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, because he has visited and wrought redemption for his people,

1:69and raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of David his servant;

1:70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began;

1:71deliverance from our enemies and out of the hand of all who hate us;

1:72to fulfil mercy with our fathers and remember his holy covenant,

1:73the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,

1:74to give us, that, saved out of the hand of our enemies, we should serve him without fear

1:75in piety and righteousness before him all our days.

1:76And *thou*, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;

1:77to give knowledge of deliverance to his people by the remission of their sins

1:78on account of the bowels of mercy of our God; wherein the dayspring from on high has visited us,

1:79to shine upon them who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

1:80-- And the child grew and was strengthened in spirit; and he was in the deserts until the day of his shewing to Israel.

2:1But it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census should be made of all the habitable world.

2:2The census itself first took place when Cyrenius had the government of Syria.

2:3And all went to be inscribed in the census roll, each to his own city:

2:4and Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city Nazareth to Judaea, to David's city, the which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

2:5to be inscribed in the census roll with Mary who was betrothed to him as his wife, she being great with child.

2:6And it came to pass, while they were there, the days of her giving birth to her child were fulfilled,

2:7and she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling-clothes and laid him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

2:8And there were shepherds in that country abiding without, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

2:9And lo, an angel of the Lord was there by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared with great fear.

2:10And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I announce to you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people;

2:11for to-day a Saviour has been born to you in David's city, who is Christ the Lord.

2:12And this is the sign to you: ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and lying in a manger.

2:13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

2:14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men.

2:15And it came to pass, as the angels departed from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us make our way then now as far as Bethlehem, and let us see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

2:16And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger;

2:17and having seen it they made known about the country the thing which had been said to them concerning this child.

2:18And all who heard it wondered at the things said to them by the shepherds.

2:19But Mary kept all these things in her mind, pondering them in her heart.

2:20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all things which they had heard and seen, as it had been said to them.

2:21And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called Jesus, which was the name given by the angel before he had been conceived in the womb.

2:22And when the days were fulfilled for their purifying according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

2:23(as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord),

2:24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord: A pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.

2:25And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and pious, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

2:26And it was divinely communicated to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see the Lord's Christ.

2:27And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and as the parents brought in the child Jesus that they might do for him according to the custom of the law,

2:28*he* received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

2:29Lord, now thou lettest thy bondman go, according to thy word, in peace;

2:30for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

2:31which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples;

2:32a light for revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.

2:33And his father and mother wondered at the things which were said concerning him.

2:34And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, Lo, this child is set for the fall and rising up of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against;

2:35(and even a sword shall go through thine own soul;) so that the thoughts may be revealed from many hearts.

2:36And there was a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was far advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity,

2:37and herself a widow up to eighty-four years; who did not depart from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers;

2:38and she coming up the same hour gave praise to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who waited for redemption in Jerusalem.

2:39And when they had completed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own city Nazareth.

2:40And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and God's grace was upon him.

2:41And his parents went yearly to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover.

2:42And when he was twelve years old, and they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast

2:43and had completed the days, as they returned, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, and his parents knew not of it;

2:44but, supposing him to be in the company that journeyed together, they went a day's journey, and sought him among their relations and acquaintances:

2:45and not having found him they returned to Jerusalem seeking him.

2:46And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers and hearing them and asking them questions.

2:47And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

2:48And when they saw him they were amazed: and his mother said to him, Child, why hast thou dealt thus with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee distressed.

2:49And he said to them, Why is it that ye have sought me? did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father's business?

2:50And they understood not the thing that he said to them.

2:51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and he was in subjection to them. And his mother kept all these things in her heart.

2:52And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.

3:1Now in the fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

3:2in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came upon John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3:3And he came into all the district round the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

3:4as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet: Voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

3:5Every gorge shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked places shall become a straight path, and the rough places smooth ways,

3:6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

3:7He said therefore to the crowds which went out to be baptised by him, Offspring of vipers, who has forewarned you to flee from the coming wrath?

3:8Produce therefore fruits worthy of repentance; and begin not to say in yourselves, We have Abraham for our father, for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

3:9And already also the axe is applied to the root of the trees; every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

3:10And the crowds asked him saying, What should we do then?

3:11And he answering says to them, He that has two body-coats, let him give to him that has none; and he that has food, let him do likewise.

3:12And tax-gatherers came also to be baptised, and they said to him, Teacher, what should we do?

3:13And he said to them, Take no more money than what is appointed to you.

3:14And persons engaged in military service also asked him saying, And we, what should we do? And he said to them, Oppress no one, nor accuse falsely, and be satisfied with your pay.

3:15But as the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts concerning John whether *he* might be the Christ,

3:16John answered all, saying, *I* indeed baptise you with water, but the mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not fit to unloose; *he* shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire;

3:17whose winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his threshing-floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

3:18Exhorting then many other things also he announced his glad tidings to the people.

3:19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him as to Herodias, the wife of his brother, and as to all the wicked things which Herod had done,

3:20added this also to all the rest, that he shut up John in prison.

3:21And it came to pass, all the people having been baptised, and Jesus having been baptised and praying, that the heaven was opened,

3:22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove upon him; and a voice came out of heaven, *Thou* art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight.

3:23And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years old; being as was supposed son of Joseph; of Eli,

3:24of Matthat, of Levi, of Melchi, of Janna, of Joseph,

3:25of Mattathias, of Amos, of Naoum, of Esli, of Naggai,

3:26of Maath, of Mattathias, of Semei, of Joseph, of Juda,

3:27of Joannes, of Resa, of Zorobabel, of Salathiel, of Neri,

3:28of Melchi, of Addi, of Cosam, of Elmodam, of Er,

3:29of Joses, of Eliezer, of Joreim, of Matthat, of Levi,

3:30of Simeon, of Juda, of Joseph, of Jonan, of Eliakim,

3:31of Meleas, of Menan, of Mattatha, of Nathan, of David,

3:32of Jesse, of Obed, of Booz, of Salmon, of Naasson,

3:33of Aminadab, of Aram, of Esrom, of Phares, of Juda,

3:34of Jacob, of Isaac, of Abraham, of Terah, of Nachor,

3:35of Seruch, of Ragau, of Phalek, of Eber, of Sala,

3:36of Cainan, of Arphaxad, of Sem, of Noe, of Lamech,

3:37of Methusala, of Enoch, of Jared, of Maleleel, of Cainan,

3:38of Enos, of Seth, of Adam, of God.