Luke 1

¹In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,

²until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

¹⁷For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

³¹But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

¹⁶By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

²⁷And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

¹⁶‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.

³how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.

²And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

²¹Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

²²beginning from John’s baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

¹In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,

²⁵But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.

⁹Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs.

⁴But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:

¹⁹It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

³In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude.

³¹But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

²⁵He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

¹⁹But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

⁶Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.

¹⁸if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;

¹⁵And I will make every effort to ensure that after my departure, you will be able to recall these things at all times.

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,

¹⁹This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

⁴Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,

¹⁷of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai;

¹Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

¹⁵so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

⁴And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and uprightness, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,

¹There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.

¹⁶In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.

¹¹By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.

¹¹And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

²¹Later, Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

²He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

¹⁷Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”

¹⁴So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”

¹⁴In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

¹⁹This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

²Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—for the burnt offerings and peace offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for singing praises at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling.

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.

¹“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish,

¹⁸They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

¹¹Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”

¹³The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.

⁷And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

⁸When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the Lord for the generations to come.

⁴⁰just as the Lord commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his followers.

²⁸And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites.

¹⁶But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

¹⁷No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.

³Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.

²⁴For Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.

²⁶Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,

²⁷and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded him.

³One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

³The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

¹³Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God

⁹And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.

¹³He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.

²²When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

²²“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”

⁹Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

⁴Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

¹⁷When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

²¹So the Lord attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

⁹He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!

²¹Later, Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

³Children are indeed a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.

²¹When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

²⁴The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

²⁰A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

⁶Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.

⁵“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

²“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,

³he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

⁴Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.

⁵For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

¹⁵But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased

³³For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

¹“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts.

³A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

⁴Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.

¹In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

²and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

⁶He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,

⁵Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the Lord.

⁶And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

¹⁴And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,

²¹“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

²²So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

¹¹Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things.

¹²But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”

¹¹And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹²He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?

¹⁷Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”

¹²So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

²²And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?”

⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.

³⁴“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

²But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

¹⁰See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.

¹⁶And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

²¹while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

²²He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.

¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.

²⁶I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.

²⁷On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁸Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.

¹³if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

²²When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

²in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

²³“Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁴‘May the Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁴So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about.

¹⁷Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

⁶²So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.

⁴⁰Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:

³³The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people.

²⁵Their relatives came from their villages at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day periods.

⁵and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace,

⁶a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple—

²²Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,

²³and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

¹In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

¹“Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.

²“Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep.

¹Now the Lord attended to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.

²So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.

²¹Later, Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

⁶Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her.

²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

¹⁹“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

⁴¹Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?

⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.

¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

¹⁶and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

²⁰But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

²¹She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

²³“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

¹⁵And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

¹²And the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

¹⁹“Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

³⁰So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

⁶to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.

²¹while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

²²He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.

¹⁰For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”

¹⁷While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.

¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.

⁴Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

⁴⁹but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost—

⁵⁰for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

⁵When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

³¹What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

¹⁰Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

²⁷But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

²¹She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

²¹When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

²³“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

⁵in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.

¹¹and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you.

¹²And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.

³⁵The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

⁷And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”

⁴⁴In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.

⁸But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.

¹³In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

¹⁴And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

²⁷Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’

³⁵Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—I will not lie to David—

³⁶his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun,

¹⁶Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”

¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

⁴⁹“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

²⁰But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

³⁴I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

³¹Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.

³²He 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,

¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.

²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

¹⁷“Oh, Lord God! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!

²⁷But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

¹⁴Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

²⁰Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

²¹being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised.

³⁸Establish Your word to Your servant, to produce reverence for You.

¹⁶Truly, O Lord, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.

²⁵And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised,

²⁶so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You.

⁶⁵All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.

⁴⁸These were in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

⁴⁹Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),

⁴⁰So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.

⁷So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

⁹From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name

¹⁰to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them:

⁶⁷Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁴⁴For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people!

⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.

⁵⁵But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

²⁴Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

¹⁸And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

²⁸The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

³⁸“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

⁴⁸For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁶For You grant him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence.

²⁸Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

¹³You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am.

¹¹Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

⁴¹She arose, bowed facedown, and said, “Here is your servant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”

⁴²For David himself says in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand

⁴³until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’

¹A Psalm of David. The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

²⁹Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

⁴⁰Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

²⁷As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”

²⁸But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

²⁰And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

²⁰Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”

¹At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.

²There is no one holy like the Lord. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.

²My soul boasts in the Lord; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

³Magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.

⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and exult in His salvation.

¹⁰I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.

²Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—

¹¹Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and exult in His salvation.

¹⁸yet I will exult in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

³This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

²¹Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the Lord? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.

²²Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

¹⁰not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

¹¹Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

⁶Though the Lord is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.

²⁶Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.

²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

¹²“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the Lord of Hosts.

¹¹And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

²³He remembered us in our low estate His loving devotion endures forever.

²⁷As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”

²⁰Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,

²Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

³The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

⁹He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.

³Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy!

⁶There is none like You, O Lord. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.

¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the Lord extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—

¹⁸to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

⁶but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

⁴Let those who fear the Lord say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”

⁶Then the Lord passed in front of Moses and called out: “The Lord, the Lord God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

⁷maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

¹⁹He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

¹A Psalm. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained Him the victory.

¹⁰The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

³Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed.

⁴The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.

⁹Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

²¹For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.

⁶Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has shattered the enemy.

⁷You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.

²⁴Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it.’”

¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

⁴⁰He pours out contempt on the nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

⁴¹But He lifts the needy from affliction and increases their families like flocks.

¹⁴I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁶The Lord brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

⁷The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.

⁶He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth.

⁷He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump

⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.

⁹For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

²¹Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

¹⁰Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

²⁴But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

¹⁶‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.’

¹⁷For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

³He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

²⁰You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

²¹Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are My servant, O Israel. I have made you, and you are My servant; O Israel, I will never forget you.

¹⁴But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

¹⁵“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!

²⁰Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord.

³“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth.

⁴Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.

¹⁹But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

⁶O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

⁷He is the Lord our God; His judgments carry throughout the earth.

¹⁶The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

¹⁷What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise.

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”

¹⁸And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

²⁸Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs.

²⁹For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

²So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.

³And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.

⁶While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born.

⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

¹⁹God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

¹⁴Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel.

¹⁵He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,

²⁵“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

⁹He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!

¹²Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.

³And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.

²¹When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

⁸Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

³And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.

⁴When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

²⁵and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the Lord loved him.

²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

⁶³Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

³And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

²²When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

⁶⁰But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”

⁸Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the days to come, a witness forever and ever.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

²Then the Lord answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.

¹“The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus, engraved with a diamond point on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.

²⁰And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

¹⁵You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do.

¹⁶He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were God to him.

²²Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.

⁹Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

³⁴But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

³⁵All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

³⁹In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,

⁵On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened.

¹¹And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events.

⁴³A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs.

¹⁶A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”

¹¹But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them.

²¹The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

⁵¹Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

²And the Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

⁴⁴“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.

²⁸And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.

²¹For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

²⁵Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again.

²The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.

⁴⁸Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah!

¹⁶A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”

⁹He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.

¹³Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

³¹and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.

⁴⁸saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.’”

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

²¹In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

³My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.

¹⁰Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”

¹⁷For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.

⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

²¹Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.

²²For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.

²the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

²¹For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

²⁵They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit was right when He spoke to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

¹⁰The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.

¹⁰As for you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid, declares the Lord, and do not be dismayed, O Israel. For I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return to quiet and ease, with no one to make him afraid.

¹⁰He saved them from the hand that hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

⁶In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.

²⁹Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”

¹⁵The Lord has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the Lord, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.

¹⁶On that day they will say to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.

³⁷I will surely gather My people from all the lands to which I have banished them in My furious anger and great wrath, and I will return them to this place and make them dwell in safety.

²⁸They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not consume them. They will dwell securely, and no one will frighten them.

⁴²then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

¹³When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,

¹⁴saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.”

²⁰You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

⁴⁵And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.

¹⁴Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

⁶⁰But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

¹⁶saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,

¹⁷I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

⁸But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

⁹the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac.

⁵This was in order to establish the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is to this day.” “Amen, Lord,” I answered.

¹²If you listen to these ordinances and keep them carefully, then the Lord your God will keep His covenant and the loving devotion that He swore to your fathers.

¹⁶Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument.

¹⁷So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.

¹⁵The Lord has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the Lord, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.

¹⁶On that day they will say to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.

⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

¹³Then all your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their prosperity.

¹⁴In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.

¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

¹⁰For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone.

¹²It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

⁹He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.

³³“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

³⁴No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”

⁴For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love

¹“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts.

³A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

⁴Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.

²As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”

³“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

²³John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

³This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

⁵Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.

³¹God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

⁴³All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁴I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

⁷In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

²“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.

¹⁹We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”

¹⁷I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth.

¹⁴So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

¹Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

²The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

¹⁶the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

¹⁸to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

⁷to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

⁴⁶I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

⁴⁰And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

³“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

⁴John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

¹⁹And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.

²⁰So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

¹In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

²⁴So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.

²⁵And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.