The Jewish Annotated New Testament (34 page)
Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
21
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary.
22
When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak.
23
When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24
After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,
25
“This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”
26
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
*
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But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
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He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
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He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
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35
The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born
*
will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
36
And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
37
For nothing will be impossible with God.”
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Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
39
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,
40
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
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When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
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and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
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And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
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For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
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And blessed is she who believed that there would be
*
a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
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And Mary
*
said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
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and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior,
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for he has looked with favor on the
lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will
call me blessed;
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for the Mighty One has done great things
for me,
and holy is his name.
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His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
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He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the
thoughts of their hearts.
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He has brought down the powerful from
their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
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he has filled the hungry with good
things,
and sent the rich away empty.
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He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
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according to the promise he made to our
ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
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And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
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Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
58
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.
60
But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.”
61
They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.”
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Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him.
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He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed.
64
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God.
65
Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea.
66
All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
67
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
68
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his
people and redeemed them.
69
He has raised up a mighty savior
*
for us
in the house of his servant David,
70
as he spoke through the mouth of his
holy prophets from of old,
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that we would be saved from our
enemies and from the hand of all
who hate us.
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Thus he has shown the mercy promised
to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy
covenant,
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the oath that he swore to our ancestor
Abraham,
to grant us
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that we, being rescued
from the hands 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
by the forgiveness of their sins.
78
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break
upon
*
us,
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
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
2
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2
This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3
All went to their own towns to be registered.
4
Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.
5
He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
6
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
7
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
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to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,
*
the Lord.
12
This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth 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 heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom
he favors!”
*
15
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
17
When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;
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and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
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But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
20
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.