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LUKE
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Chapter 1
Luke NETtext 1:1  Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
Luke NETtext 1:2  like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning.
Luke NETtext 1:3  So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke NETtext 1:4  so that you may know for certain the things you were taught.
Luke NETtext 1:5  During the reign of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron.
Luke NETtext 1:6  They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
Luke NETtext 1:7  But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old.
Luke NETtext 1:8  Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,
Luke NETtext 1:9  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the holy place of the Lord and burn incense.
Luke NETtext 1:10  Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.
Luke NETtext 1:11  An angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared to him.
Luke NETtext 1:12  And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear.
Luke NETtext 1:13  But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John.
Luke NETtext 1:14  Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
Luke NETtext 1:15  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
Luke NETtext 1:16  He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
Luke NETtext 1:17  And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him."
Luke NETtext 1:18  Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well."
Luke NETtext 1:19  The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
Luke NETtext 1:20  And now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place."
Luke NETtext 1:21  Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder why he was delayed in the holy place.
Luke NETtext 1:22  When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the holy place, because he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak.
Luke NETtext 1:23  When his time of service was over, he went to his home.
Luke NETtext 1:24  After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. She said,
Luke NETtext 1:25  "This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people."
Luke NETtext 1:26  In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
Luke NETtext 1:27  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luke NETtext 1:28  The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!"
Luke NETtext 1:29  But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting.
Luke NETtext 1:30  So the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!
Luke NETtext 1:31  Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Luke NETtext 1:32  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
Luke NETtext 1:33  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."
Luke NETtext 1:34  Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?"
Luke NETtext 1:35  The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.
Luke NETtext 1:36  "And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age - although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month!
Luke NETtext 1:38  So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Luke NETtext 1:39  In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah,
Luke NETtext 1:40  and entered Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.
Luke NETtext 1:41  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke NETtext 1:42  She exclaimed with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb!
Luke NETtext 1:43  And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me?
Luke NETtext 1:44  For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Luke NETtext 1:45  And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Luke NETtext 1:47  and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,
Luke NETtext 1:48  because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on all generations will call me blessed,
Luke NETtext 1:49  because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
Luke NETtext 1:50  from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him.
Luke NETtext 1:51  He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.
Luke NETtext 1:52  He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;
Luke NETtext 1:53  he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.
Luke NETtext 1:54  He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,
Luke NETtext 1:55  as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
Luke NETtext 1:56  So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.
Luke NETtext 1:57  Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.
Luke NETtext 1:58  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
Luke NETtext 1:59  On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.
Luke NETtext 1:60  But his mother replied, "No! He must be named John."
Luke NETtext 1:61  They said to her, "But none of your relatives bears this name."
Luke NETtext 1:62  So they made signs to the baby's father, inquiring what he wanted to name his son.
Luke NETtext 1:63  He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all amazed.
Luke NETtext 1:64  Immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he spoke, blessing God.
Luke NETtext 1:65  All their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about.
Luke NETtext 1:66  All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the Lord's hand was indeed with him.
Luke NETtext 1:67  Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
Luke NETtext 1:68  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people.
Luke NETtext 1:69  For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
Luke NETtext 1:70  as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,
Luke NETtext 1:71  that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us.
Luke NETtext 1:72  He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant -
Luke NETtext 1:73  the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grants
Luke NETtext 1:74  that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without fear,
Luke NETtext 1:75  in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.
Luke NETtext 1:76  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
Luke NETtext 1:77  to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.
Luke NETtext 1:78  Because of our God's tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high
Luke NETtext 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."
Luke NETtext 1:80  And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.