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Luke 1:39-80
Contemporary English Version
Luke 1:39-80
Contemporary English Version
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 A short time later Mary hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea. 40 She went into Zechariah's home, where she greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby moved within her.
The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth. 42 (A) Then in a loud voice she said to Mary:
God has blessed you more than any other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have. 43 Why should the mother of my Lord come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, my baby became happy and moved within me. 45 The Lord has blessed you because you believed that he will keep his promise.
Mary's Song of Praise
46 (B) Mary said:
With all my heart
I praise the Lord,
47 and I am glad
because of God my Savior.
48 God cares for me,
his humble servant.
From now on,
all people will say
God has blessed me.
49 God All-Powerful has done
great things for me,
and his name is holy.
50 He always shows mercy
to everyone
who worships him.
51 The Lord has used
his powerful arm
to scatter those
who are proud.
52 (C) God drags strong rulers
from their thrones
and puts humble people
in places of power.
53 God gives the hungry
good things to eat,
and sends the rich away
with nothing.
54 God helps his servant Israel
and is always merciful
to his people.
55 (D) The Lord made this promise
to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his family
forever!
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she went back home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When Elizabeth's son was born, 58 her neighbors and relatives heard how kind the Lord had been to her, and they too were glad.
59 (E) Eight days later they did for the child what the Law of Moses commands.[a] They were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John.”
61 The people argued, “No one in your family has ever been named John.” 62 So they motioned to Zechariah to find out what he wanted to name his son.
63 Zechariah asked for a writing tablet. Then he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was amazed. 64 At once, Zechariah started speaking and praising God.
65 All the neighbors were frightened because of what had happened, and everywhere in the hill country people kept talking about these things. 66 Everyone who heard about this wondered what this child would grow up to be. They knew the Lord was with him.
Zechariah Praises the Lord
67 The Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah, and he began to speak:
68 Praise the Lord,
the God of Israel!
He has come
to save his people.
69 Our God has given us
a mighty Savior[b]
from the family
of David his servant.
70 Long ago the Lord promised
by the words
of his holy prophets
71 to save us from our enemies
and from everyone
who hates us.
72 God said he would be kind
to our people and keep
his sacred promise.
73 He told our ancestor Abraham
74 that he would rescue us
from our enemies.
Then we could serve him
without fear,
75 by being holy and good
as long as we live.
76 (F) You, my son, will be called
the prophet of God Most High.
You will go ahead of the Lord
to get everything ready
for him.
77 You will tell his people
that they can be saved
when their sins
are forgiven.
78 God's love and kindness
will shine upon us
like the sun that rises
in the sky.[c]
79 (G) On us who live
in the dark shadow
of death
this light will shine
to guide us
into a life of peace.
80 As John grew up, God's Spirit gave him great power. John lived in the desert until the time he was sent to the people of Israel.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1.59 what the Law of Moses commands: This refers to circumcision. It is the cutting off of skin from the private part of Jewish boys eight days after birth to show that they belong to the Lord.
- 1.69 a mighty Savior: The Greek text has “a horn of salvation.” In the Scriptures animal horns are often a symbol of great strength.
- 1.78 like the sun that rises in the sky: Or “like the Messiah coming from heaven.”
Luke 1:39-80
New International Version
Luke 1:39-80
New International Version
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,(A) 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(B) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(C) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(D) should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song(E)
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord(F)
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(G)
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.(H)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(I)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things(J) for me—
holy is his name.(K)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.(L)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(M)
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(N)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.(O)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(P)
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful(Q)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(R) forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise(S) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”(T)
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs(U) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”(V) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(W) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(X) people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.(Y)
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(Z) and prophesied:(AA)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(AB)
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(AC)
69 He has raised up a horn[a](AD) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David(AE)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(AF)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(AG)
and to remember his holy covenant,(AH)
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(AI)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him(AJ) without fear(AK)
75 in holiness and righteousness(AL) before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(AM) of the Most High;(AN)
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(AO)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,(AP)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun(AQ) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,(AR)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(AS)
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[b];(AT) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
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