just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

“He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.

As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.

Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea.

Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;

To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,

The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;

For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,

And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”

And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?”

Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,

Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,

and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

and,
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,

To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”

But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;

and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority.

“Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.

Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.

Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”

They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.

And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.

But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.

And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.