Luke 1:39-80

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth

³⁹In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her,^[a] and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.^(A) ⁴²Then she exclaimed with a loud cry:

“You are the most blessed of women,
and your child will be blessed!^[b]

⁴³How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me!^[c] ⁴⁵She who has believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled!”

Mary’s Praise

⁴⁶And Mary said:

My soul proclaims the greatness of^[d] the Lord,^(B)
⁴⁷and my spirit has rejoiced^(C) in God my Savior,^(D)
⁴⁸because He has looked with favor
on the humble condition of His slave.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,^(E)
⁴⁹because the Mighty One^(F)
has done great things for me,^(G)
and His name^(H) is holy.
⁵⁰His mercy is from generation to generation^(I)
on those who fear Him.
⁵¹He has done a mighty deed with His arm;^(J)
He has scattered the proud
because of the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵²He has toppled the mighty from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.
⁵³He has satisfied the hungry with good things^(K)
and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped His servant Israel,
mindful of His mercy,^[e]
⁵⁵just as He spoke to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his descendants^[f] forever.

⁵⁶And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

The Birth and Naming of John

⁵⁷Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. ⁵⁸Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her His great mercy,^[g]^(L) and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day,^(M) they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. ⁶⁰But his mother responded, “No! He will be called John.”^(N)

⁶¹Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” ⁶²So they motioned to his father^(O) to find out what he wanted him to be called. ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet and wrote:

HIS NAME IS JOHN.

And they were all amazed. ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened^(P) and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶All who heard about him^(Q) took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

⁶⁷Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(R) and prophesied:^(S)

⁶⁸Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,^(T)
because He has visited
and provided redemption for His people.^(U)
⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation^[h] for us^(V)
in the house of His servant David,^(W)
⁷⁰just as He spoke by the mouth
of His holy prophets in ancient times;^(X)
⁷¹salvation from our enemies
and from the clutches^[i] of those who hate us.
⁷²He has dealt mercifully with our fathers^(Y)
and remembered His holy covenant^(Z)—
⁷³the oath that He swore to our father Abraham.^(AA)
He has given us the privilege,
⁷⁴since we have been rescued
from our enemies’ clutches,^[j]
to serve Him without fear
⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness
in His presence all our days.
⁷⁶And child, you will be called
a prophet of the Most High,^(AB)
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare His ways,^(AC)
⁷⁷to give His people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.^(AD)
⁷⁸Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the Dawn from on high^(AE) will visit us
⁷⁹to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,^(AF)
to guide our feet into the way of peace.