1 Since many have indeed taken in hand to set in order an account of the matters completely confirmed among us,
2 as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,
3 it seemed good to me as well, having followed up all these matters exactly from the beginning, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilos,
4 that you might know the certainty of the words which you were taught.
5 There was in the days of Herodes, the sovereign of Yehuḏah, a certain priest named Zeḵaryah, of the division of Aḇiyah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aharon, and her name was Elisheḇa.
6 And they were both righteous before Elohim, blamelessly walking in all the commands and righteousnesses of יהוה.
7 And they had no child, because Elisheḇa was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 And it came to be, that while he was serving as priest before Elohim in the order of his division,
9 according to the institute of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to burn incense when he went into the Dwelling Place of יהוה.
10 And the entire crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 And a messenger of יהוה appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zeḵaryah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the messenger said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zeḵaryah, for your prayer is heard. And your wife Elisheḇa shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yoḥanan.
14 “And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 “For he shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
16 “And he shall turn many of the children of Yisra’ĕl to יהוה their Elohim.
17 “And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Ěliyahu, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for יהוה.”
18 And Zeḵaryah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in years.”
19 And the messenger answering, said to him, “I am Gaḇri’ĕl, who stands in the presence of Elohim, and was sent to speak to you and announce to you this good news.
20 “But see, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day this takes place, because you did not believe my words which shall be filled in their appointed time.”
21 And the people waited for Zeḵaryah, and marvelled at his delay in the Dwelling Place.
22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them. And they recognised that he had seen a vision in the Dwelling Place, for he was beckoning to them and remained dumb.
23 And it came to be, as soon as the days of his service were completed, he went away to his house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisheḇa conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying,
25 “יהוה has done this for me, in the days when He looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.”
26 And in the sixth month the messenger Gaḇri’ĕl was sent by Elohim to a city of Galil named Natsareth,
27 to a maiden engaged to a man whose name was Yosĕph, of the house of Dawiḏ. And the maiden’s name was Miryam.
28 And the messenger, coming to her, said, “Greetings, favoured one, the Master is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
29 But she was greatly disturbed at his word, and wondered what kind of greeting this was.
30 And the messenger said to her, “Do not be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favour with Elohim.
31 “And see, you shall conceive in your womb, and shall give birth to a Son, and call His Name יהושע.
32 “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And יהוה Elohim shall give Him the throne of His father Dawiḏ.
33 “And He shall reign over the house of Ya‛aqoḇ forever, and there shall be no end to His reign.”
34 And Miryam said to the messenger, “How shall this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the messenger answering, said to her, “The Set-apart Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. And for that reason the Set-apart One born of you shall be called: Son of Elohim.
36 “And see, Elisheḇa your relative, she has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month to her who was called barren,
37 because with Elohim no matter shall be impossible.”
38 And Miryam said, “See the female servant of יהוה! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the messenger went away from her.
39 And Miryam arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Yehuḏah,
40 and entered into the house of Zeḵaryah and greeted Elisheḇa.
41 And it came to be, when Elisheḇa heard the greeting of Miryam, that the baby leaped in her womb. And Elisheḇa was filled with the Set-apart Spirit,
42 and called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 “And who am I, that the mother of my Master should come to me?
44 “For look, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 “Blessed is she who believed, for that which יהוה has said to her shall be accomplished!”
46 And Miryam said, “My being makes יהוה great,
47 and my spirit has rejoiced in Elohim my Saviour.
48 “Because He looked on the humiliation of His female servant. For look, from now on all generations shall call me blessed.
49 “For He who is mighty has done wonders for me, and set-apart is His Name.
50 “And His compassion is from generation to generation, to those who fear Him.
51 “He did mightily with His arm, He scattered the proud in the thought of their hearts.
52 “He brought down rulers from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
53 “He has filled the hungry with good items, and the rich He has sent away empty.
54 “He sustained Yisra’ĕl, His servant, in remembrance of His compassion,
55 as He spoke to our fathers, to Aḇraham and to his seed, forever.”
56 And Miryam stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home.
57 And the time was filled for Elisheḇa to give birth, and she bore a son.
58 And her neighbours and relatives heard how יהוה had shown great compassion to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to be, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child. And they were calling him by the name of his father, Zeḵaryah.
60 And his mother answering, said, “Not so, but he shall be called Yoḥanan.”
61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”
62 Then they motioned to his father, what he would like him to be called.
63 And having asked for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “Yoḥanan is his name.” And they all marvelled.
64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he was speaking, praising Elohim.
65 And fear came on all those dwelling around them, and all these matters were spoken of in all the hill country of Yehuḏah.
66 And all who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What then shall this child be?” And the hand of יהוה was with him.
67 And Zeḵaryah, his father, was filled with the Set-apart Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, for He did look upon and worked redemption for His people,
69 and has raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of His servant Dawiḏ,
70 as He spoke by the mouth of His set-apart prophets, from of old –
71 deliverance from our enemies and from the hand of all those hating us,
72 to show compassion toward our fathers and to remember His set-apart covenant,
73 an oath which He swore to our father Aḇraham:
74 to give to us, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, to serve Him without fear,
75 in set-apartness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 “And you, child, shall be called prophet of the Most High, for you shall go before the face of יהוה to prepare His ways,
77 to give knowledge of deliverance to His people, by the forgiveness of their sins,
78 through the tender compassion of our Elohim, with which the daybreak from on high has looked upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of showing Himself openly to Yisra’ĕl.