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Luke 1:57-80
Easy-to-Read Version
Luke 1:57-80
Easy-to-Read Version
The Birth of John
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a boy. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord was very good to her, and they were happy for her.
59 When the baby was eight days old, they came to circumcise him. They wanted to name him Zechariah because this was his father’s name. 60 But his mother said, “No, he will be named John.”
61 The people said to Elizabeth, “But no one in your family has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, “What would you like to name him?”
63 Zechariah asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was surprised. 64 Then Zechariah could talk again, and he began praising God. 65 And all their neighbors were afraid. In all the hill country of Judea, people continued talking about these things. 66 Everyone who heard about these things wondered about them. They thought, “What will this child be?” They could see that the Lord was with him.
Zechariah Praises God
67 Then Zechariah, John’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the people a message from God:
68 “Praise to the Lord God of Israel.
He has come to help his people
and has given them freedom.
69 He has given us a powerful Savior
from the family of his servant David.
70 This is what he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 He will save us from our enemies
and from the power of all those who hate us.
72 God said he would show mercy to our fathers,
and he remembered his holy agreement.
73 This was the promise he made to our father Abraham,
74 a promise to free us from the power of our enemies,
so that we could serve him without fear
75 in a way that is holy and right for as long as we live.
76 “Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Most High God.
You will go first before the Lord to prepare the way for him.
77 You will make his people understand that they will be saved
by having their sins forgiven.
78 “With the loving mercy of our God,
a new day[a] from heaven will shine on us.
79 It will bring light to those who live in darkness, in the fear of death.
It will guide us into the way that brings peace.”
80 And so the little boy John grew up and became stronger in spirit. Then he lived in areas away from other people until the time when he came out to tell God’s message to the people of Israel.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 1:78 new day Literally, “dawn,” used here as a symbol, probably meaning the Lord’s Messiah.
Luke 1:57-80
New International Version
Luke 1:57-80
New International Version
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(A) 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.”(B)
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs(C) 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.”(D) 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,(E) praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea(F) 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.(G)
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(H) and prophesied:(I)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(J)
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(K)
69 He has raised up a horn[a](L) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David(M)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(N)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(O)
and to remember his holy covenant,(P)
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(Q)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him(R) without fear(S)
75 in holiness and righteousness(T) before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(U) of the Most High;(V)
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(W)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,(X)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun(Y) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,(Z)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(AA)
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[b];(AB) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
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