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The Blue Letter Bible

Luke 1 :: New International Version (NIV)

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Introduction

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:1

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:1 - Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[fn] among us,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:2

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:2 - just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:3

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:3 - With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:4

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:4 - so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:5

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:5 - In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:6

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:6 - Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:7

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:7 - But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:8

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:8 - Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:9

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:9 - he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:10

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:10 - And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:11

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:11 - Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:12

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:12 - When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:13

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:13 - But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:14

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:14 - He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:15

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:15 - for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:16

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:16 - He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:17

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:17 - And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:18

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:18 - Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:19

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:19 - The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:20

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:20 - And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:21

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:21 - Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:22

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:22 - When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:23

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:23 - When his time of service was completed, he returned home.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:24

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:24 - After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:25

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:25 - “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:26

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:26 - In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:27

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:27 - to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:28

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:28 - The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:29

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:29 - Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:30

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:30 - But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:31

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:31 - You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:32

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:32 - He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:33

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:33 - and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:34

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:34 - “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:35

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:35 - The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[fn] the Son of God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:36

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:36 - Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:37

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:37 - For no word from God will ever fail.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:38

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:38 - “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:39

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:39 - At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:40

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:40 - where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:41

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:41 - When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:42

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:42 - In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:43

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:43 - But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:44

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:44 - As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:45

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:45 - Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:46

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:46 - And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:47

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:47 - and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:48

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:48 - for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:49

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:49 - for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:50

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:50 - His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:51

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:51 - He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:52

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:52 - He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:53

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:53 - He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:54

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:54 - He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:55

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:55 - to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:56

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:56 - Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:57

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:57 - When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:58

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:58 - Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:59

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:59 - On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:60

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:60 - but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:61

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:61 - They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:62

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:62 - Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:63

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:63 - He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:64

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:64 - Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:65

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:65 - All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:66

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:66 - Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:67

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:67 - His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:68

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:68 - “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:69

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:69 - He has raised up a horn[fn] of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:70

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:70 - (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:71

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:71 - salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:72

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:72 - to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:73

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:73 - the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:74

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:74 - to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:75

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:75 - in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:76

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:76 - And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:77

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:77 - to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:78

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:78 - because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:79

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:79 - to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:80

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:80 - And the child grew and became strong in spirit[fn]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NIV Footnotes
Or been surely believed
Or So the child to be born will be called holy,
Horn here symbolizes a strong king.
Or in the Spirit
NIV

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.


See detailed copyright information.

For more information on this translation, see the NIV Preface.

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Luke Chapter 1 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras