57. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,
60. but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”
61. And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”
62. And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
63. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.
64. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,
66. and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
69. and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
70. as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71. that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
72. to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
73. the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74. that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
75. in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77. to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
78. because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80. And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
1. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5. to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
7. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
10. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
17. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
18. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.