1Dear Theophilus: Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us.G1895G4183G2021G392G1335G4012G4229G4135G1722G22542They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message.G2531G3860G2254G3588G575G746G1096G845G2532G5257G30563And so, Your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you.G1380G2504G199G3877G3956G509G1125G4671G2517G2903G23214I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.G2443G1921G803G4012G3056G3739G27275During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife's name was Elizabeth; she also belonged to a priestly family.G1096G1722G2250G2264G935G2449G5100G2409G3686G2197G1537G2183G7G2532G846G1135G1537G2364G2G2532G846G3686G16656They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the Lord's laws and commands.G1161G2258G297G1342G1799G2316G4198G1722G3956G1785G2532G1345G2962G2737They had no children because Elizabeth could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old.G2532G846G2258G3756G5043G2530G1665G2258G4723G2532G846G297G2258G4260G1722G22508One day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his turn in the daily service.G1161G1096G1722G846G2407G1725G2316G1722G5010G846G21839According to the custom followed by the priests, he was chosen by lot to burn incense on the altar. So he went into the Temple of the Lord,G2596G1485G2405G2975G2370G1525G1519G3485G296210while the crowd of people outside prayed during the hour when the incense was burned.G2532G3956G4128G2992G2258G4336G1854G5610G236811An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where the incense was burned.G1161G3700G846G32G2962G2476G1537G1188G2379G236812When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and felt afraid.G2532G2197G1492G5015G2532G5401G1968G1909G84613But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John.G1161G32G2036G4314G846G5399G3361G2197G1360G4675G1162G1522G2532G4675G1135G1665G1080G4671G5207G2532G2564G846G3686G249114How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born!G2532G4671G2071G5479G2532G20G2532G4183G5463G1909G846G108315John will be great in the Lord's sight. He must not drink any wine or strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,G1063G2071G3173G1799G2962G2532G4095G3364G3631G2532G4608G2532G4130G40G4151G2089G1537G846G3384G283616and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.G2532G4183G5207G2474G1994G1909G2962G846G231617He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him."G2532G846G4281G1799G846G1722G4151G2532G1411G2243G1994G2588G3962G1909G5043G2532G545G1722G5428G1342G2090G2992G2680G296218Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also."G2532G2197G2036G4314G32G2596G5101G1097G5124G1063G1473G1510G4246G2532G3450G1135G4260G1722G2250G84619"I am Gabriel," the angel answered. "I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news.G2532G32G611G2036G846G1473G1510G1043G3936G1799G2316G2532G649G2980G4314G4571G2532G2097G4671G5023G209720But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true."G2532G2400G2071G4623G2532G3361G1410G2980G891G2250G3739G5023G1096G473G3739G4100G3756G3450G3056G3748G4137G1519G846G254021In the meantime the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was spending such a long time in the Temple.G2532G2992G2258G4328G2197G2532G2296G1722G846G5549G1722G348522When he came out, he could not speak to them, and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Unable to say a word, he made signs to them with his hands.G1161G1831G1410G3756G2980G846G2532G1921G3754G3708G3701G1722G3485G2532G846G2258G1269G846G2532G1265G297423When his period of service in the Temple was over, Zechariah went back home.G2532G1096G5613G2250G846G3009G4130G565G1519G846G362424Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and did not leave the house for five months.G1161G3326G5025G2250G846G1135G1665G4815G2532G4032G1438G4002G3376G300425"Now at last the Lord has helped me," she said. "He has taken away my public disgrace!"G3754G3779G4160G2962G4160G3427G1722G2250G3739G1896G851G3450G3681G1722G44426In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth.G1161G1722G1623G3376G32G1043G649G5259G2316G1519G4172G1056G3739G3686G347827He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary.G4314G3933G3423G435G3739G3686G2501G1537G3624G1138G2532G3933G3686G313728The angel came to her and said, "Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!"G2532G32G1525G4314G846G2036G5463G5487G2962G3326G4675G2127G4771G1722G113529Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant.G1161G1492G1298G1909G846G3056G2532G1260G4217G783G3778G149830The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you.G2532G32G2036G846G5399G3361G3137G1063G2147G5485G3844G231631You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.G2532G2400G4815G1722G1064G2532G5088G5207G2532G2564G846G3686G242432He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was,G3778G2071G3173G2532G2564G5207G5310G2532G2962G2316G1325G846G2362G846G3962G113833and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"G2532G936G1909G3624G2384G1519G165G2532G846G932G2071G3756G505634Mary said to the angel, "I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?"G1161G2036G3137G4314G32G4459G2071G5124G2071G1893G1097G3756G43535The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.G2532G32G611G2036G846G40G4151G1904G1909G4571G2532G1411G5310G1982G4671G1352G2532G40G1080G1537G4675G2564G5207G231636Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old.G2532G2400G4675G4773G1665G846G4815G2532G4815G5207G1722G846G1094G2532G3778G2076G1623G3376G846G3588G2564G472337For there is nothing that God cannot do."G3754G3844G2316G3756G3956G4487G10138"I am the Lord's servant," said Mary; "may it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her.G1161G3137G2036G2400G1399G2962G1096G3427G2596G4675G4487G2532G32G565G575G84639Soon afterward Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea.G1161G3137G450G1722G5025G2250G4198G1519G3714G3326G4710G1519G4172G244840She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.G2532G1525G1519G3624G2197G2532G782G166541When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy SpiritG2532G1096G5613G1665G191G783G3137G1025G4640G1722G846G2836G2532G1665G4130G40G415142and said in a loud voice, "You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear!G2532G400G3173G5456G2532G2036G2127G4771G1722G1135G2532G2127G2590G4675G283643Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord's mother comes to visit me?G2532G4159G5124G3427G2443G3384G3450G2962G2064G4314G316544For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness.G1063G2400G5613G5456G4675G783G1096G1519G3450G3775G1025G4640G1722G3450G2836G1722G2045How happy you are to believe that the Lord's message to you will come true!"G2532G3107G4100G3754G2071G5050G2980G846G3844G296246Mary said, "My heart praises the Lord;G2532G3137G2036G3450G5590G3170G296247my soul is glad because of God my Savior,G2532G3450G4151G21G1909G2316G3450G499048for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy,G3754G1914G1909G5014G846G1399G1063G2400G575G3568G3956G1074G3106G3165G310649because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me. His name is holy;G3754G1415G4160G3427G3167G2532G40G846G368650from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him.G2532G846G1656G5399G846G1519G1074G107451He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans.G4160G2904G1722G846G1023G1287G5244G1271G846G258852He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.G2507G1413G575G2362G2532G5312G501153He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands.G1705G3983G18G2532G4147G1821G2756G182154He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel.G482G846G3816G2474G3415G165655He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever!"G2531G2980G4314G2257G3962G11G2532G846G4690G1519G16556Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home.G1161G3137G3306G4862G846G5616G5140G3376G2532G5290G1519G846G362457The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.G1161G1665G4130G5550G4130G846G5088G2532G1080G520758Her neighbors and relatives heard how wonderfully good the Lord had been to her, and they all rejoiced with her.G2532G4040G2532G846G4773G191G3754G2962G3170G1656G846G3326G846G2532G4796G84659When the baby was a week old, they came to circumcise him, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.G2532G1096G1722G3590G2250G2064G4059G3813G2532G2564G846G2197G1909G3686G846G396260But his mother said, "No! His name is to be John."G2532G846G3384G611G2036G3780G235G2564G249161They said to her, "But you don't have any relative with that name!"G2532G2036G4314G846G3754G2076G3762G1722G4675G4772G3739G2564G5129G368662Then they made signs to his father, asking him what name he would like the boy to have.G1161G1770G846G3962G5101G302G2309G846G256463Zechariah asked for a writing pad and wrote, "His name is John." How surprised they all were!G2532G154G4093G1125G3004G846G3686G2076G2491G2532G2296G395664At that moment Zechariah was able to speak again, and he started praising God.G1161G846G4750G455G3916G2532G846G1100G2532G2980G2127G231665The neighbors were all filled with fear, and the news about these things spread through all the hill country of Judea.G2532G5401G1096G1909G3956G4039G846G2532G3956G5023G4487G1255G1722G3650G3714G244966Everyone who heard of it thought about it and asked, "What is this child going to be?" For it was plain that the Lord's power was upon him.G2532G3956G191G5087G1722G846G2588G3004G5101G686G3813G2071G5124G2071G2532G5495G2962G2258G3326G84667John's father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he spoke God's message:G2532G846G3962G2197G4130G40G4151G2532G4395G300468"Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to the help of his people and has set them free.G2128G2962G2316G2474G3754G1980G2532G3085G846G2992G416069He has provided for us a mighty Savior, a descendant of his servant David.G2532G1453G2768G4991G2254G1722G3624G846G3816G113870He promised through his holy prophets long agoG2531G2980G1223G4750G846G40G4396G3588G575G16571that he would save us from our enemies, from the power of all those who hate us.G4991G1537G2257G2190G2532G1537G5495G3956G3404G224872He said he would show mercy to our ancestors and remember his sacred covenant.G4160G1656G3326G2257G3962G2532G3415G846G40G124273With a solemn oath to our ancestor Abraham he promised to rescue us from our enemiesG3727G3739G3660G4314G2257G3962G1174and allow us to serve him without fear,G1325G2254G4506G1537G5495G2257G2190G3000G846G87075so that we might be holy and righteous before him all the days of our life.G1722G3742G2532G1343G1799G846G3956G2250G2257G222276"You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his road for him,G2532G4771G3813G2564G4396G5310G1063G4313G4253G4383G2962G2090G846G359877to tell his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven.G1325G1108G4991G846G2992G1722G859G846G26678Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on usG1223G4698G1656G2257G2316G1722G3739G395G1537G5311G1980G224879and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace."G2014G2521G1722G4655G2532G4639G2288G2720G2257G4228G1519G3598G151580The child grew and developed in body and spirit. He lived in the desert until the day when he appeared publicly to the people of Israel.G1161G3813G837G2532G2901G4151G2532G2258G1722G2048G2193G2250G846G323G4314G2474
Dublin, OH
