Luke Chapter One
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of
those things which have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers
of the word delivered them to us,
3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all
things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most
excellent Theophilus,
4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were
instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest
named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were
both well advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the
order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense
when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the
hour of incense.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side
of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your
prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and
you shall call his name John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mother's womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn
the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an
old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in
the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these
glad tidings.
20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these
things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be
fulfilled in their own time."
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so
long in the temple.
22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived
that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and
remained speechless.
23 And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed,
that he departed to his own house.
24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself
five months, saying,
25 "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me,
to take away my reproach among people."
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David. The virgin's name was Mary.
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored
one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered
what manner of greeting this was.
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and
shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the
Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom
there will be no end."
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore,
also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her
old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me
according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste,
to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the
babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me?
44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears,
the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those
things which were told her from the Lord."
46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold,
henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His
name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in
the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent
away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever."
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her
house.
57 Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she
brought forth a son.
58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great
mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child;
and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."
61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is
called by this name."
62 So they made signs to his father--what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is
John." So they all marveled.
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he
spoke, praising God.
65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings
were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.
66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What
kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and
prophesied, saying:
68 "Blessed is 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, Who have been since
the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all
who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His
holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will
go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their
sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on
high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To
guide our feet into the way of peace."
80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts
till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Luke Chapter Two
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into
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 wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for
her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling
cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them
in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who
is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in
swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward
men!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that
the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying
in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was
told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told
them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the
things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child,
His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was
conceived in the womb.
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses
were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the
womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the
Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and
this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not
see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought
in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According
to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your
people Israel."
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken
of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this
Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for
a sign which will be spoken against
35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts
of many hearts may be revealed."
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband
seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart
from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him
to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and
the grace of God was upon Him.
A clear scriptural reading of Luke
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
will point the Yah'shua's conception
at Chanukah
(Matt. 5:14; Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 11:9; 2 Co. 4:4)
and His birth at Sukkoth.
John 1:14