MODERN LITERAL VERSION

1:1 Since many have undertaken the task to compile a narrative concerning the matters which have been fully assured among us,
1:2 just-as they gave them to us, who from the beginning became eyewitnesses and attendants of the word,
1:3 it also seemed good to me, having followed accurately in all things from the start, to write to you afterwards, most-excellent Theophilus;
1:4 that* you might fully know the certainty concerning the words in which you were instructed.

1:5 It happened in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, from the class* of Abijah and he had a wife of the daughters from Aaron and her name was Elisabeth.
1:6 And they were both righteous and blameless before God, conducting-themselves in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
1:7 And they had no child, insomuch as Elisabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days.

1:8 Now it happened, while he did priestly duties before God in the order of his class*,
1:9 according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn-incense.
1:10 And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside in the hour of incense.
1:11 And a messenger of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
1:12 And Zacharias was disturbed when he saw him and fear fell upon him.

1:13 But the messenger said to him, Do not fear, Zacharias, because your supplication is heard and your wife Elisabeth will give-birth to a son to you and you will call his name John.
1:14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
1:15 For* he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he may never* drink wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
1:16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
1:17 And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to walk in the prudence of the righteous; to make-ready a prepared people for the Lord.

1:18 And Zacharias said to the messenger, According to what, shall I know this? For* I am an elderly-man and my wife is advanced in her days.

1:19 And the messenger answering said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to proclaim to you this good-news.
1:20 And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak, till the day that these things should happen, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.

1:21 And the people were expecting Zacharias and they were marveling at his delaying in the temple.
1:22 And when he came out, he was not able to speak to them, and they recognized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he was signaling to them and remained mute.
1:23 And it happened, when the days of his ministry* were fulfilled, he went away to his house.

1:24 And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself for five months, saying,
1:25 Thus the Lord has done to me in the days in which he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.

1:26 Now in the sixth month Gabriel the messenger was sent by God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, from the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
1:28 And the messenger coming to her, said, Hail! She who has been favored. The Lord is with you. You are blessed among women.
1:29 But she seeing him, was very disturbed at his saying, and was reasoning what sort of greeting this might be.
1:30 And the messenger said to her, Do not fear, Mary; for* you have found favor with God.
1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and will call his name JESUS.
1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
1:33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.

1:34 And Mary said to the messenger, How will this be, since I do not know a man?

1:35 And the messenger answering, said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; hence the holy thing which is born out of you will also be called the Son of God.
1:36 And behold, Elisabeth your relative, she also has conceived a son in her elderliness, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren,
1:37 because no declaration from God will be powerless.

1:38 And Mary said, Behold, the bondservant of the Lord; let it happen to me according to your declaration. And the messenger went away from her.

1:39 And rising* up in these days, Mary went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Judah;
1:40 and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elisabeth.
1:41 And it happened, when Elisabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby jumped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit;
1:42 and she shouted out with a loud voice and said, You are blessed among women, and the fruit of your womb is blessed.
1:43 And from where, is this to me, that* the mother of my Lord should come to me?
1:44 For* behold, as the voice of your greeting came* into my ears, the baby jumped in my womb in gladness.
1:45 And she who believed is fortunate, because there will be an accomplishment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.

1:46 And Mary said, My soul extols the Lord,
1:47 and my spirit was glad in God my Savior.
1:48 Because he has looked upon the humbleness of his bondservant; for* behold, from hereafter all generations will esteem me fortunate.
1:49 Because he who is mighty has done great things to me. And holy is his name.
1:50 And his mercy is toward generations of generations to those who fear him.
1:51 He has made* his dominion known with his arm. He has scattered the haughty in the perception of their heart.
1:52 He has taken down sovereigns from their thrones and has exalted the humble.
1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and he has sent the rich away empty.
1:54 He helped Israel his young-servant, in order to remember his mercy,
1:55 as he spoke to our fathers, toward Abraham and his seed forever.

1:56 And Mary remained with her approximately three months and returned to her house.

1:57 Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should bear, and she gave-birth to a son.
1:58 And those who dwelt around her, and her relatives, heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her.
1:59 And it happened, that on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child, and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of the father.
1:60 And his mother answered and said, Not so, but he will be called John.

1:61 And they said to her, There is none among your relatives who is called by this name.
1:62 And they signaled to his father, what he might wish him to be called.
1:63 And he asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they all marveled.
1:64 And his mouth was instantly opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, thanking God.
1:65 And fear became upon all those dwelling around them and all these declarations were talked-about in all the hill-country of Judea.
1:66 And all who heard them placed them in their heart, saying, What then will this child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.

1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
1:68 The Lord, the God of Israel is gracious*. Because he has visited and made* redemption for his people,
1:69 and has lifted up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his young-servant David,
1:70 (as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from the ages past ).
1:71 We have salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
1:72 to do his mercy with our fathers and to remember his holy covenant*.
1:73 We have the oath which he swore to Abraham our father to give to us,
1:74 fearlessly being rescued out of the hand of our enemies, that we should give-divine service to him
1:75 in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life before him.
1:76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for* ‘you will travel before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.' {Mal. 3:1}
1:77 You are to give knowledge of salvation to his people with the forgiveness of their sins,
1:78 through the heart* of mercy of our God, in which the rising of light from on high has visited us,
1:79 to appear upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to steer our feet into the way of peace.

1:80 And the child was growing and becoming-powerful in spirit and was in the wildernesses until the day of his public showing to Israel.
{Footnotes: Please read the Preface. * is our universal footnoting for words contained in the Appendix. These words are NOT the same Greek word as the non-asterisk form; i.e. *for is different from for* is different from for. Lk 1:78- Greek: bowels. (The Greeks thought emotions were born there.)}