Luke
M any have un der tak en to draw up an ac count of the things that have been ful filled among us, just as they were hand ed down to us by those who from the first were eye wit ness es and ser vants of the word. With this in mind, since I my self have care ful ly in vesti gat ed ev ery thing from the be gin ning, I too de cid ed to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the cer tain ty of the things you have been taught.
I n the time of Her od king of Ju dea there was a priest named Zecha ri ah, who be longed to the priest ly di vi sion of Abi jah; his wife Eliz a beth was also a de scen dant of Aar on. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, ob serv ing all the Lord’ s com mands and decrees blamelessly. But they were child less be cause Eliz a beth was not able to con ceive, and they were both very old.
Once when Zech a ri ah’ s di vi sion was on duty and he was serving as priest be fore God, he was cho sen by lot, ac cord ing to the custom of the priest hood, to go into the tem ple of the Lord and burn in cense. And when the time for the burn ing of in cense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an an gel of the Lord ap peared to him, stand ing at the right side of the al tar of in cense. When Zech a ri ah saw him, he was star tled and was gripped with fear. But the an gel said to him:“ Do not be afraid, Zech a ri ah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Eliz a beth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and de light to you, and many will re joice be cause of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is nev er to take wine or oth er fer ment ed drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spir it even be fore he is born. He will bring back many of the peo ple of Is ra el to the Lord their God. And he will go on be fore the Lord, in the spir it and pow er of Eli jah, to turn the hearts of the par ents to their chil dren and the dis obe di ent to the wis dom of the righteous— to make ready a peo ple pre pared for the Lord.”
1:1 – 1:17 1:1 – 1:17