1Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us.G1895G4183G2021G392G1335G4012G4229G4135G1722G22542They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.G2531G3860G2254G3588G575G746G1096G845G2532G5257G30563Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus,G1380G2504G199G3877G3956G509G1125G4671G2517G2903G23214so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.G2443G1921G803G4012G3056G3739G27275When 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.G1096G1722G2250G2264G935G2449G5100G2409G3686G2197G1537G2183G7G2532G846G1135G1537G2364G2G2532G846G3686G16656Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations.G1161G2258G297G1342G1799G2316G4198G1722G3956G1785G2532G1345G2962G2737They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.G2532G846G2258G3756G5043G2530G1665G2258G4723G2532G846G297G2258G4260G1722G22508One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.G1161G1096G1722G846G2407G1725G2316G1722G5010G846G21839As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.G2596G1485G2405G2975G2370G1525G1519G3485G296210While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.G2532G3956G4128G2992G2258G4336G1854G5610G236811While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.G1161G3700G846G32G2962G2476G1537G1188G2379G236812Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.G2532G2197G1492G5015G2532G5401G1968G1909G84613But 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.G1161G32G2036G4314G846G5399G3361G2197G1360G4675G1162G1522G2532G4675G1135G1665G1080G4671G5207G2532G2564G846G3686G249114You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,G2532G4671G2071G5479G2532G20G2532G4183G5463G1909G846G108315for 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.G1063G2071G3173G1799G2962G2532G4095G3364G3631G2532G4608G2532G4130G40G4151G2089G1537G846G3384G283616And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.G2532G4183G5207G2474G1994G1909G2962G846G231617He 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."G2532G846G4281G1799G846G1722G4151G2532G1411G2243G1994G2588G3962G1909G5043G2532G545G1722G5428G1342G2090G2992G2680G296218Zechariah 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."G2532G2197G2036G4314G32G2596G5101G1097G5124G1063G1473G1510G4246G2532G3450G1135G4260G1722G2250G84619Then 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!G2532G32G611G2036G846G1473G1510G1043G3936G1799G2316G2532G649G2980G4314G4571G2532G2097G4671G5023G209720But 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."G2532G2400G2071G4623G2532G3361G1410G2980G891G2250G3739G5023G1096G473G3739G4100G3756G3450G3056G3748G4137G1519G846G254021Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long.G2532G2992G2258G4328G2197G2532G2296G1722G846G5549G1722G348522When 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.G1161G1831G1410G3756G2980G846G2532G1921G3754G3708G3701G1722G3485G2532G846G2258G1269G846G2532G1265G297423When Zechariah's week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.G2532G1096G5613G2250G846G3009G4130G565G1519G846G362424Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.G1161G3326G5025G2250G846G1135G1665G4815G2532G4032G1438G4002G3376G300425"How kind the Lord is!" she exclaimed. "He has taken away my disgrace of having no children."G3754G3779G4160G2962G4160G3427G1722G2250G3739G1896G851G3450G3681G1722G44426In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,G1161G1722G1623G3376G32G1043G649G5259G2316G1519G4172G1056G3739G3686G347827to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.G4314G3933G3423G435G3739G3686G2501G1537G3624G1138G2532G3933G3686G313728Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!"G2532G32G1525G4314G846G2036G5463G5487G2962G3326G4675G2127G4771G1722G113529Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.G1161G1492G1298G1909G846G3056G2532G1260G4217G783G3778G149830"Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God!G2532G32G2036G846G5399G3361G3137G1063G2147G5485G3844G231631You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.G2532G2400G4815G1722G1064G2532G5088G5207G2532G2564G846G3686G242432He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.G3778G2071G3173G2532G2564G5207G5310G2532G2962G2316G1325G846G2362G846G3962G113833And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"G2532G936G1909G3624G2384G1519G165G2532G846G932G2071G3756G505634Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin."G1161G2036G3137G4314G32G4459G2071G5124G2071G1893G1097G3756G43535The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.G2532G32G611G2036G846G40G4151G1904G1909G4571G2532G1411G5310G1982G4671G1352G2532G40G1080G1537G4675G2564G5207G231636What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's now in her sixth month.G2532G2400G4675G4773G1665G846G4815G2532G4815G5207G1722G846G1094G2532G3778G2076G1623G3376G846G3588G2564G472337For nothing is impossible with God."G3754G3844G2316G3756G3956G4487G10138Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.G1161G3137G2036G2400G1399G2962G1096G3427G2596G4675G4487G2532G32G565G575G84639A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the townG1161G3137G450G1722G5025G2250G4198G1519G3714G3326G4710G1519G4172G244840where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.G2532G1525G1519G3624G2197G2532G782G166541At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.G2532G1096G5613G1665G191G783G3137G1025G4640G1722G846G2836G2532G1665G4130G40G415142Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.G2532G400G3173G5456G2532G2036G2127G4771G1722G1135G2532G2127G2590G4675G283643Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?G2532G4159G5124G3427G2443G3384G3450G2962G2064G4314G316544When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.G1063G2400G5613G5456G4675G783G1096G1519G3450G3775G1025G4640G1722G3450G2836G1722G2045You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."G2532G3107G4100G3754G2071G5050G2980G846G3844G296246Mary responded, "Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.G2532G3137G2036G3450G5590G3170G296247How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!G2532G3450G4151G21G1909G2316G3450G499048For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.G3754G1914G1909G5014G846G1399G1063G2400G575G3568G3956G1074G3106G3165G310649For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.G3754G1415G4160G3427G3167G2532G40G846G368650He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.G2532G846G1656G5399G846G1519G1074G107451His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.G4160G2904G1722G846G1023G1287G5244G1271G846G258852He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.G2507G1413G575G2362G2532G5312G501153He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.G1705G3983G18G2532G4147G1821G2756G182154He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.G482G846G3816G2474G3415G165655For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever."G2531G2980G4314G2257G3962G11G2532G846G4690G1519G16556Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.G1161G3137G3306G4862G846G5616G5140G3376G2532G5290G1519G846G362457When it was time for Elizabeth's baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.G1161G1665G4130G5550G4130G846G5088G2532G1080G520758And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.G2532G4040G2532G846G4773G191G3754G2962G3170G1656G846G3326G846G2532G4796G84659When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.G2532G1096G1722G3590G2250G2064G4059G3813G2532G2564G846G2197G1909G3686G846G396260But Elizabeth said, "No! His name is John!"G2532G846G3384G611G2036G3780G235G2564G249161"What?" they exclaimed. "There is no one in all your family by that name."G2532G2036G4314G846G3754G2076G3762G1722G4675G4772G3739G2564G5129G368662So they used gestures to ask the baby's father what he wanted to name him.G1161G1770G846G3962G5101G302G2309G846G256463He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone's surprise he wrote, "His name is John."G2532G154G4093G1125G3004G846G3686G2076G2491G2532G2296G395664Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.G1161G846G4750G455G3916G2532G846G1100G2532G2980G2127G231665Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.G2532G5401G1096G1909G3956G4039G846G2532G3956G5023G4487G1255G1722G3650G3714G244966Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, "What will this child turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.G2532G3956G191G5087G1722G846G2588G3004G5101G686G3813G2071G5124G2071G2532G5495G2962G2258G3326G84667Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy.G2532G846G3962G2197G4130G40G4151G2532G4395G300468"Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.G2128G2962G2316G2474G3754G1980G2532G3085G846G2992G416069He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,G2532G1453G2768G4991G2254G1722G3624G846G3816G113870just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.G2531G2980G1223G4750G846G40G4396G3588G575G16571Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us.G4991G1537G2257G2190G2532G1537G5495G3956G3404G224872He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—G4160G1656G3326G2257G3962G2532G3415G846G40G124273the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.G3727G3739G3660G4314G2257G3962G1174We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear,G1325G2254G4506G1537G5495G2257G2190G3000G846G87075in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.G1722G3742G2532G1343G1799G846G3956G2250G2257G222276"And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.G2532G4771G3813G2564G4396G5310G1063G4313G4253G4383G2962G2090G846G359877You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.G1325G1108G4991G846G2992G1722G859G846G26678Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,G1223G4698G1656G2257G2316G1722G3739G395G1537G5311G1980G224879to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."G2014G2521G1722G4655G2532G4639G2288G2720G2257G4228G1519G3598G151580John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.G1161G3813G837G2532G2901G4151G2532G2258G1722G2048G2193G2250G846G323G4314G2474
Dublin, OH
.G2531
