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The Blue Letter Bible

Luke 1 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Introduction

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:1

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:1 - Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:2

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:2 - They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:3

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:3 - Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:4

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:4 - so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:5

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:5 - When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:6

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:6 - Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:7

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:7 - They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:8

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:8 - One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:9

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:9 - As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:10

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:10 - While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:11

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:11 - While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:12

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:12 - Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:13

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:13 - But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:14

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:14 - You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:15

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:15 - for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:16

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:16 - And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:17

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:17 - He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,[fn] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:18

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:18 - Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:19

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:19 - Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:20

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:20 - But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:21

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:21 - Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:22

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:22 - When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:23

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:23 - When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:24

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:24 - Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:25

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:25 - “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
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 village in Galilee,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:27

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:27 - to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:28

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:28 - Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you![fn]”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:29

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:29 - Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:30

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:30 - “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for 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 will name him Jesus.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:32

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

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:33

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:33 - And he will reign over Israel[fn] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:34

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:34 - Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:35

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:35 - The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:36

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:36 - What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:37

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:37 - For nothing is impossible with God.[fn]”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:38

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:38 - Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:39

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:39 - A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:40

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:40 - where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:41

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:41 - At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:42

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:42 - Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:43

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:43 - Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:44

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:44 - When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:45

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:45 - You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:46

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:46 - Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:47

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:47 - How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:48

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:48 - For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and 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 is holy,
and he has done great things for me.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:50

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:50 - He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:51

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:51 - His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:52

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:52 - He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted 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
and sent the rich away with empty hands.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:54

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:54 - He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:55

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:55 - For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:56

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:56 - Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own 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’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:58

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:58 - And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:59

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:59 - When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:60

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:60 - But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:61

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:61 - “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:62

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:62 - So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:63

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

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:64

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:64 - Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:65

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:65 - Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:66

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:66 - Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
Zechariah’s Prophecy

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:67

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:67 - Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:68

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

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:69

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:69 - He has sent us a mighty Savior[fn]
from the royal line of his servant David,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:70

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:70 - just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:71

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:71 - Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:72

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:72 - He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:73

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:73 - the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:74

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:74 - We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:75

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:75 - in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:76

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:76 - “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:77

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:77 - You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:78

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:78 - Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:79

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:79 - to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 1:80

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 1:80 - John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Greek from those who from the beginning were servants of the word.
Or even from birth.
See Mal 4:5-6.
Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women.
Greek over the house of Jacob.
Some manuscripts read For the word of God will never fail.
Greek has raised up a horn of salvation for us.
Or the Morning Light from Heaven is about to visit us.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

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

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Luke Chapter 1 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version 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