things shall be accomplished, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled 21 in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long 22 in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained 23 speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplish24 ed, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and 25 hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me,in the days wherein he looked on me,to take away my reproach among men. 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named 27 Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of Da28 vid, and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed 29 art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast, in her mind what manner of salutation this 30 should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary for thou hast found favor with 31 God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call 32 his name JESUS.* He shall be great, and That is, a Savior, or deliverer... shall be called the Son of the Most High,† and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne 33 of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his king34 dom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I 35 know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy One which shall be born of thee shall be called 36 the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month with her 37 who was called barren. For with God nothing 38 shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed 89 from her. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of 40 Juda, and entered into the house of Zacharias, 41 and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb and 42 Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed 43 is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come + Christ is called the Son of God, as he was formed by an immediate divine power-See 35th verse. And because of his resurrection from the dead, see Acts xiii. 33. 44 to me? For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leap- . 45 ed in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the 46 Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify 47 the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in God my 48 Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his hand-maiden: and behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great 50 things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him, from generation to 51 generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm he hath scattered the proud in the 52 imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them 53 of low degree.* He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent 54 empty away. He hath helped his servant Is55 racl, in remembrance of his mercy. As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his 56 seed forever. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own 57 house. Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth 58 a son. And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy 59 unto her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. *Mary, no doubt, believed, as the other pious Jews then did, that Jesus would be a great temporal but virtuous prines. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; 61 but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is 62 called by this name. And they made signs to his father how he would have him called. 63 And he asked* for a writing-table, and wrote saying, His name is John. And they marvel64 led all. And his mouth was opened immedi ately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and 65 praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill-country 66 of Judea. And all they that had heard them, laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child will this be? And the hand of the 67 Lord was with him. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophe68 sied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Isra el; for he hath visited and redeemed his peo69 ple, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for 70 us, in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, who 71 have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from 72 the hand of all that hate us:† To perform the mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy 73 covenant: The oath which he sware to our 74 father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hands of our * That is, made signs that he wished for a table, &c. ↑ Zachariah seems to have supposed that Christ would possess temporal power and exalt the Jewish nation: So that piety may consist with some errors of opinion. 75 enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the 76 days of our life. And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare 77 his ways: To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their sins, 78 through the tender mercy of our God, whereby 79 the light from on high hath visited us, to enlighten them who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the 80 way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts* till the day of his shewing unto Israel. 1 CHAP. II. AND it came to pass in those days, that a decree issued from Cæsar Augustus, that all 2 the world should be enrolled. This first en rolment was made when Quirinus was prefect 3 of Syria. And all went to be registered, every 4 one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the 5 house and lineage of David,) to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, being great with *Not in places wholly uninhabited, but in a part of the country less populous than most others. + All the world means either the Roman empire, or the land of Judea. |
