Luke
1:5-25
NIV
Translation
Luke
1
5
In
the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who
belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also
a descendant of Aaron.
6
Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's
commandments and regulations blamelessly.
7
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both
well along in years.
8
Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest
before God,
9
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go
into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers
were praying outside.
11
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of
the altar of incense.
12
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13
But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has
been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give
him the name John.
14
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his
birth,
15
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine
or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even
from birth.
16
Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.
17
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to
the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18
Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man
and my wife is well along in years."
19
The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and
I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20
And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens,
because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper
time."
21
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed
so long in the temple.
22
When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen
a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable
to speak.
23
When his time of service was completed, he returned home.
24
After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained
in seclusion.
25
"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown
his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." |
Luke
1:5-25
New
Living Translation
Luke
1
5 When Herod was
king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member
of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from
the priestly line of Aaron.
6 Zechariah and Elizabeth
were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments
and regulations.
7 They had no children
because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 One day Zechariah
was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.
9 As was the custom
of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord
and burn incense.
10 While the incense
was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah
was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to
the right of the incense altar.
12 Zechariah was
shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.
13 But the angel
said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife,
Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
14 You will have
great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be
great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic
drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
16 And he will turn
many Israelites to the Lord their God.
17 He will be a man
with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the
coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the
godly.”
18 Zechariah said
to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now,
and my wife is also well along in years.”
19 Then the angel
said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who
sent me to bring you this good news!
20 But now, since
you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak
until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the
proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the
people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering
why he was taking so long.
22 When he finally
did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures
and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
23 When Zechariah’s
week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.
24 Soon afterward
his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.
25 “How kind the
Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” |
