Luke 1:1-4

Luke told Theophilus why he was writing about all that Jesus did.

1My noble friend Theophilus, many people saw the things that Jesus did while he was with us, from the time when he started [MTY] his ministry. They served God by teaching people the message about the Lord Jesus. Many of those who heard what they taught wrote down for us accounts of the things that Jesus did from the time when he began his ministry.

3I myself have studied these accounts carefully. So I decided that it would be good for me also to write for you (sg) an accurate account of these matters.

4I want you to know the truth about what you have been taught {what others have taught you}.

An angel told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son, John.

5When King Herod the Great ruled Judea district, 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 the first priest of Israel, Aaron.

6God considered that both of them were righteous, because they constantly completely obeyed everything that God had commanded.

7But they had no children, because Elizabeth had been unable to bear children. Furthermore, she and her husband were very old.

8One day Zechariah’s group was doing their work in the Temple in Jerusalem, and he was serving as a priest in God’s presence.

9Following their custom, the other priests chose him by lot to enter the Lord’s temple and burn incense.

10While he was burning the incense, many people were outside in the courtyard, praying.

11Then an angel whom God had sent appeared to him. The angel was standing at the right side of the place where the priests burned incense.

12When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became very afraid.

13But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid! When you (sg) prayed asking God for a son (OR, that God would send the Messiah), God heard what you prayed. So your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son. You must name him John.

14He will cause you to be very happy, and many other people will also be happy because he is born.

15God will consider him to be very important. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, in order that he will be completely dedicated to God. He will be controlled by the Holy Spirit {The Holy Spirit will control him} from before he is born.

16He will persuade many people in Israel to turn away from their sins and please the Lord their God.

17As God’s Spirit enables him to preach powerfully as the prophet Elijah did, he will precede the Messiah. He will cause parents [SYN] to act peacefully toward their children again. He will cause many people who do not obey God to hear and obey the wise things that righteous people tell them. He will do this in order to help many people to be ready when the Lord comes.”

18Then Zechariah said to the angel, “I am very old, and my wife is also so old that she cannot bear a child. So ◄I cannot believe that what you (sg) said will happen!/how can I believe that what you (sg) said will happen?► [RHQ]”

19Then the angel said to him, “I am God’s chief angel, Gabriel! I do what God tells me, because I constantly am in God’s presence! I was sent {He sent me} to tell you (sg) something good that is going to happen to you.

20What I have told you will certainly happen at the time God decides, but you did not believe what I told you. So now God will make you will be unable to talk until the day your son is born”!

21While Zechariah and the angel were talking, the people in the courtyard were waiting for Zechariah to come out. They wondered, “Why is he staying in the Temple for such a long time?”

22When Zechariah came out, he was not able to speak to the people. Because he could not talk, he made motions with his hands to try to convey what had happened. Then they realized that he had seen ◄a vision from God/something that God showed him► while he was in the Temple.

23When Zechariah’s time to work as a priest in the Temple was finished, he left Jerusalem and returned to his home.

24Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant [EUP]. She did not leave their house for five months, because she knew that people would laugh at her if she told them that she was pregnant.

25But she thought, “God has enabled me to become pregnant. He has pitied me and I will no longer be ashamed because I have no children!”

An angel told a virgin named Mary that she would bear a son, to be named Jesus.

26When Elizabeth had been pregnant [EUP] for almost six months, the angel Gabriel was sent by God {God sent the angel Gabriel} again.

27This time he went to Nazareth town in Galilee district, to a virgin whose name was Mary. It had been {Her parents had} promised that she would marry a man named Joseph, who was descended from King David.

28The angel greeted her and said, “◄The Lord/God► is with you (sg) and you will be greatly blessed {has decided to greatly bless you}!”

29But Mary was very confused when she heard that. She wondered what the angel meant by these words.

30Then the angel said to her, “Mary, God is very pleased with you (sg), so do not be afraid.

31You will become pregnant and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.

32He will become great. He will be called {People will call him} ◄the Son of God/the man who is also God►. God, the Lord, will make him a king [MTY] as his ancestor King David was.

33He will be the King of the Jews, the descendants [MTY] of your ancestor Jacob, forever. He will rule as king forever!”

34Then Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin, so how can I have a baby?”

35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come to you; the power of God [MTY/EUP] will overshadow you and enable you to become pregnant. So the child you will bear will be completely set apart {give himself completely} to obey God, and he will be called {people will say that he is} ◄the Son of God/the man who is also God►.

36I also need to tell you something else. Your cousin Elizabeth is very old, and it was thought {people said} that she could not bear any children. But she has been pregnant [EUP] for almost six months, and will bear a son!

37You should not be surprised at that, because God can do everything!”

38Then Mary said, “All right, I want to serve ◄the Lord/God►, so may what you (sg) have said about me come true!” Then the angel left her.

Mary visited Elizabeth.

39Very soon after that, Mary got ready and went quickly to a town in the highlands of Judea district where Zechariah lived.

40She entered his house and greeted his wife Elizabeth.

41As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary greet her, the baby moved inside Elizabeth’s womb. The Holy Spirit took complete control of Elizabeth,

42and she said loudly to Mary, “God has blessed you more than he has blessed any other woman, and he has blessed the child you will bear!

43◄I am not worthy that God would allow you to visit me!/Why is God allowing you to visit me?► [RHQ] You will be the mother of my Lord!

44I realize this because as soon as I heard you greet me, the baby inside my womb moved because he was so happy that you had come.

45God is pleased with you because you believed that what ◄the Lord/God► told you would come true.”

Mary praised God.

46Then Mary praised God by saying/singing: “, how I [SYN] praise ◄the Lord/God►!

47I am happy because God is the one who saves me.

48I was only his lowly servant girl, but he did not forget me.
So from now on, everyone will say that God was pleased with me,

49because they will hear about the things that God [MTY], the mighty one, has done for me.
He [MTY] is awesome!

50He acts mercifully toward all those who respect him.

51He shows people that he [MTY] is very powerful. He scatters those who think proudly.

52He does not let mighty kings rule [MTY] any more, but he honors people who are oppressed (OR, humble).

53He gives good things to eat to those who are hungry, but he sends away the rich people without giving them anything.

54He promised to Abraham and all our other ancestors who descended from him that he would act mercifully toward them forever.
And now he has remembered what he promised.
So he has helped me and all the other people of [MTY] Israel who serve him.”

56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home.

What happened when John was born.

57When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her child, she bore a son.

58Her neighbors and relatives heard how ◄the Lord/God► had greatly blessed her by enabling her to bear a child, so they were happy along with Elizabeth.

59Seven days later they gathered together for the ceremony for circumcising the baby to show that he belonged to God. They wanted to give the baby the same name as his father, Zechariah.

60But his mother said, “No, his name will not be Zechariah. His name will be John!”

61So they said to her, “John is not the name of any of your (dl) relatives, so you(dl) should not give him that name!”

62Then they made motions with their hands to Zechariah, for him to indicate what name he wanted to be given {to give} to his son.

63So 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!

64Immediately Zechariah was able to speak again [MTY], and he praised God.

65All their neighbors were amazed/awestruck! They told other people who lived all over the highlands of Judea about what had happened.

66Everyone who heard about it kept thinking about it. They were saying, “We wonder what will this child do for God when he grows up [RHQ]!” They wondered that because from what had happened they were sure that God would be helping that child [SYN] in a powerful way.

Zechariah praised God and predicted what his son would do.

67After Zechariah’s son was born, Zechariah was completely directed by the Holy Spirit {the Holy Spirit completely directed Zechariah} as he spoke these words that came from God:

68“Praise the Lord, the God whom we(inc) people of Israel worship,
because he has come to set us, his people, free from our enemies.

69He is sending us someone who will powerfully [MTY] save us,
someone who is descended from [MTY] King David,
who served God well.

70Long ago God caused his prophets to say that he would do that.

71He will rescue us from our enemies,
and he will save us from the power of all those who hate us.

72He will do this because he has not forgotten what he promised our ancestors;
he made an agreement that he would act mercifully to us, their descendants.

73That is what he strongly promised our ancestor Abraham that he would do.

74God told him that we would be rescued {he would rescue us} from the power of our enemies,
that he would enable us to serve him without being afraid,

75that he would cause us to be completely dedicated to him,
and enable us to live righteously all of our lives.”

76Then Zechariah said this to his little son: “My child, you will be called {people will say that you are} a prophet
whom God [MTY/EUP] has sent;
you will begin your work before ◄the Lord/Messiah► comes;
you will prepare people so that they will be ready for him.
(OR, you will begin your work before the Messiah comes).

77You will tell God’s people how he will forgive them and save them from being punished for their sins.

78Our God will do that because he is very kind to us.
Just like a new day begins when the sun rises [MET],
God will do that new thing for us when the Messiah comes to us from heaven.

79People who do not know God [MET] are like those who sit in the darkness.
They are afraid [MTY] that they will soon die.
But when the Messiah tells us God’s message,
it will be like causing such people to see a bright light.
He will guide us [SYN] so that we will be living peacefully.”

80Later, Zechariah’s son grew up and became spiritually strong. Then he lived in a desolate region until he began to preach to the Israeli people.