Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,

During the reign of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron.

Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.”

Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder why he was delayed in the Holy Place.

After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. She said,

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

“And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month!

In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah,

And Mary said,

“My soul exalts the Lord,

and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,

because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.

For from now on all generations will call me blessed,

because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him.

He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.

He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,

as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.

Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

because he has come to help and has redeemed his people.

For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,

that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us.

He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors,

and to remember his holy covenant—

the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.

This oath grants

that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

may serve him without fear,

in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High.

For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s tender mercy,

the dawn will break upon us from on high

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.