1:1 Since many have undertaken to set forth in order a narrative of those things which have happened among us,
1:2 Just as they have been delivered to us, by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
1:3 It seemed good to me also, having carefully investigated all these things from the very beginning, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,
1:4 That you might know the certainty of those things, about which you have been instructed.
1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abija: and his wife was one of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
1:7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both now well along in years.
1:8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's service before God while his division was on duty,
1:9 According to the custom of the priest's office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
1:10 And the whole multitude of people were praying outside at the time of incense offering.
1:11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
1:12 And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear came upon him.
1:13 But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zechariah: for your prayer has been heard; and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
1:14 And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
1:16 And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, How shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.
1:19 And the angel answered him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and have been sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
1:20 Behold, you shall be silent, unable to speak, until the day that these things come to pass, because you have not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time.
1:21 And the people waited for Zechariah, and wondered why he delayed so long in the temple.
1:22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned to them, and remained speechless.
1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his service were finished, he departed to his own house.
1:24 And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
1:25 Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my disgrace among men.
1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27 To a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
1:28 And the angel came to her, and said, Hail, you who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you: [blessed are you among women.]
1:29 And she was troubled at his words, and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
1:30 And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
1:31 And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS.
1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David:
1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
1:34 Then Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I am a virgin?
1:35 And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: therefore the holy child to be born shall be called the Son of God.
1:36 And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age: and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.
1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
1:38 And Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.
1:39 And at that time Mary arose, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;
1:40 And entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth.
1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit:
1:42 And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
1:43 And why do I deserve to have the mother of my Lord come to me?
1:44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.
1:45 And blessed is she who believed that those things which were told her from the Lord would be fulfilled.
1:46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,
1:47 And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
1:48 For he has looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
1:49 For he who is mighty has done great things for me; and holy is his name.
1:50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.
1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered those who were proud in the imagination of their hearts.
1:52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the humble.
1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he has sent away empty.
1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
1:55 As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
1:56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
1:57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth; and she brought forth a son.
1:58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father.
1:60 And his mother answered and said, No; he shall be called John.
1:61 And they said to her, There is no one of your family who is called by this name.
1:62 And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
1:63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, His name is John. And they all marvelled.
1:64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, and praised God.
1:65 And fear came upon all who lived around them: and all these things were spoken of throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
1:66 And all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What shall this child shall turn out to be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
1:67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
1:68 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel; for he has visited and redeemed his people,
1:69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
1:70 As he spoke by the mouths of his holy prophets, from long ago:
1:71 That we would be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
1:72 To show the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
1:73 The oath which he swore to our father Abraham,
1:74 That he would grant to us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our lives.
1:76 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High: for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
1:77 To give to his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins;
1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God, the sunrise from on high will visit us,
1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
1:80 And the child grew, and grew strong in spirit, and lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2:2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
2:3 And all went to be registered, every one into his own city.
2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
2:5 To be registered with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.
2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in strips of cloth, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
2:8 And in that same region there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
2:9 And, lo, an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were very afraid.
2:10 And the angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be for all people.
2:11 For to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this shall be a sign to you; You shall find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men with whom he is pleased.
2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.
2:16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
2:17 And when they had seen, they made known what was told them concerning this child.
2:18 And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told to them.
2:21 And when eight days had passed, when he was to be circumcised, he was given the name JESUS, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were finished, 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;)
2:24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and he was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
2:26 And it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,
2:28 He took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
2:29 Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word:
2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
2:31 Which you have prepared in the presence of all people;
2:32 A light of revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.
2:33 And his father and mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is appointed to cause the fall and rising of many in Israel; and to be a sign which shall be spoken against;
2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
2:36 And there was Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayer night and day.
2:38 And coming at that hour she also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who looked for the redemption of Jerusalem.
2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.
2:40 And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
2:42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to the feast, according to the custom.
2:43 And after they had spent the full number of days, as they returned, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem; and his parents did not know.
2:44 But supposing him to have been in their company, they went a day's journey; then they sought him among their relatives and acquaintances.
2:45 And when they could not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
2:47 And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
2:48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said to him, Son, why have you treated us this way? behold, your father and I have sought you anxiously.
2:49 And he said to them, Why were you seeking me? did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?
2:50 And they did not understand what he said to them.
2:51 And he went down with them, to Nazareth, and was obedient to them: but his mother kept all these things in her heart.
2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
3:2 When Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3:3 And he went into all the country about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
3:7 Then he said to the multitude that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8 Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.
3:9 Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
3:10 And the people asked him, What shall we do then?
3:11 He answered and said to them, He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.
3:12 Then tax gatherers also came to be baptized, and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?
3:13 And he said to them, Collect no more than you have been ordered to.
3:14 And the soldiers likewise questioned him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do not extort money from anyone or accuse anyone falsely; and be content with your wages.
3:15 And as the people were expectant, and wondering in their hearts if John was the Christ,
3:16 John answered, saying to them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire:
3:17 Whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
3:18 And in his exhortation he preached many other things to the people.
3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, having been reproved by him because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and because of all the evils which Herod had done,
3:20 Added this to them all: he shut John up in prison.
3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also was baptized, and as he was praying, heaven was opened,
3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.
3:23 And Jesus was about thirty years of age when he began his work, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,
3:24 The son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
3:25 The son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
3:26 The son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
3:27 The son of Johanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
3:28 The son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
3:29 The son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
3:30 The son of Symeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
3:31 The son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
3:32 The son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
3:33 The son of Amminadab, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
3:34 The son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
3:35 The son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
3:36 The son of Cainan, the son of Arpachshad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
3:37 The son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
3:38 The son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
4:1 And Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,
4:2 For forty days, while tempted by the devil. And during those days he ate nothing: and when they had ended, he was hungry.
4:3 And the devil said to him, If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.
4:4 And Jesus answered him, It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, [but by every word of God].
4:5 And the devil, taking him up [on a high mountain], showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
4:6 And the devil said to him, I will give you all this power and its glory: for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I will.
4:7 Therefore if you will worship me, it shall all be yours.
4:8 Jesus answered him, [Get behind me, Satan]: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.
4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here:
4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you:
4:11 And in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
4:12 And Jesus answered and said to him, It is said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.
4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee: and news about him went out to all the surrounding region.
4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, and was praised by all.
4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read.
4:17 And there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
4:19 To preach the year of the Lord's favour.
4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fastened upon him.
4:21 And he said to them, Today is this scripture fulfilled in your hearing.
4:22 And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is this not Joseph's son?
4:23 And he said to them, You will surely quote to me this proverb, Physician, heal yourself: whatever we have heard you did in Capernaum, do here in your home town as well.
4:24 And he said, Truly I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own home town.
4:25 But I tell you a truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when there was great famine throughout all the land;
4:26 But Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Sarepta, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
4:27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, only Naaman the Syrian.
4:28 And all in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with anger,
4:29 And rose up, and drove him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might cast him down the cliff.
4:30 But he passed through the midst of them and went his way,
4:31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
4:32 And they were astonished at his teaching: for his word was with power.
4:33 And in the synagogue there was a man, who had a spirit of an unclean devil, and he cried out with a loud voice,
4:34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are; the Holy One of God.
4:35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, without doing him any harm.
4:36 And they were all amazed, and spoke among themselves, saying, What word is this? for with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.
4:37 And his fame went out into every part of the surrounding country.
4:38 And he arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's house. And Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a burning fever; and they begged with him for her.
4:39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and served them.
4:40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
4:41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, You are the Son of God. And he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak: for they knew that he was the Christ.
4:42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a lonely place: and the people sought him, and came to him, and tried to keep him from leaving them.
4:43 But he said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for I was sent for that purpose.
4:44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.