Luke 1 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Dear Theophilus, Many people have tried to give a history of the things that happened among us.

² They have written the same things that we learned from some other people—the people that saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message.

³ I myself studied everything carefully from the beginning, your Excellency. {\cf2\super [1]} Then I thought I should write it for you. So I put it in order in a book.

⁴ I write these things so that you can know that what you have been taught is true.

⁵ During the time when Herod {\cf2\super [2]} ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. Zechariah belonged to Abijah’s group. {\cf2\super [3]} Zechariah’s wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.

⁶ Zechariah and Elizabeth were truly good people before God. They did everything the Lord (God) commanded and told people to do. They were without fault.

⁷ But Zechariah and Elizabeth had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby; and both of them were very old.

⁸ Zechariah was serving as a priest before God for his group. It was his group’s time to serve.

⁹ The priests always chose one priest to offer the incense. {\cf2\super [4]} Zechariah was chosen to do this. So Zechariah went into the temple {\cf2\super [5]} of the Lord (God) to offer the incense.

¹⁰ There were many, many people outside. They were praying at the time the incense was offered.

¹¹ Then, on the right side of the incense table, an angel of the Lord (God) came and stood before Zechariah.

¹² When he saw the angel, Zechariah was upset and very afraid.

¹³ But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a baby boy. You must name him John.

¹⁴ You will be very, very happy. Many people will be happy because of his birth.

¹⁵ John will be a great man for the Lord (God). He will never drink wine or liquor. Even at the time when John is being born, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [6]}

¹⁶ John will help many Jews return to the Lord their God.

¹⁷ John himself will go first before the Lord. John will be powerful like Elijah. {\cf2\super [7]} He will have the same spirit Elijah had. He will make peace between fathers and their children. Many people are not obeying God. John will bring those people back to the right way that people should think. He will make people ready for the \{coming of\} the Lord.”

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is also old.”

¹⁹ The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I always stand ready before God. God sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news.

²⁰ Now, listen! You will not be able to talk until the day when these things happen. You will lose your speech. Why? Because you did not believe what I told you. But these things will really happen.”

²¹ Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was staying so long in the temple. {\cf2\super [8]}

²² Then Zechariah came outside, but he could not speak to them. So the people knew that Zechariah had seen a vision {\cf2\super [9]} inside the temple. Zechariah could not speak. He could only make signs to the people.

²³ When Zechariah’s time of service was finished, he went home.

²⁴ Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant. So she did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said,

^25-27 “Look what the Lord (God) has done for me! He decided to help me \{have a baby\}. Now people will stop thinking there is something wrong with me.”

²⁸ The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord (God) is with you. You are very special to him.”

²⁹ But Mary was very confused about what the angel said. Mary wondered, “What does this mean?”

³⁰ The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God is very pleased with you.

³¹ Listen! You will become pregnant. You will give birth to a baby boy. And you will name him Jesus.

³² He will be great (important). People will call him the Son of the Most High (God). The Lord God will make him king like his ancestor David. {\cf2\super [12]}

³³ Jesus will rule over the people of Jacob {\cf2\super [13]} forever. Jesus’ kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen? I am still a virgin {\cf2\super [14]} !”

³⁵ The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [15]} will come to you and the power of the Most High (God) will cover you. The baby will be holy. He will be called the Son of God.

³⁶ Also, your relative Elizabeth is pregnant. She is very old, but she is going to have a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant now for six months!

³⁷ God can do anything!”

³⁸ Mary said, “I am the servant girl of the Lord (God). Let this thing you have said happen to me!” Then the angel went away.

³⁹ Mary got up and went quickly to a town in the hill country of Judea.

⁴⁰ She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the unborn baby inside Elizabeth jumped. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [16]}

⁴² Elizabeth said with a loud voice, “God has blessed you (Mary) more than any other woman. And God has blessed the baby which you will give birth to.

⁴³ You are the mother of my Lord, and you have come to me! Why has something so good happened to me?

⁴⁴ When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped with joy.

⁴⁵ What a blessing is yours because you believed what the Lord (God) said to you! You believed this would happen.”

⁴⁶ Then Mary said,

⁴⁷ “I praise the Lord (God) with all my heart.\par I am very happy because\par God is my Savior.\par

⁴⁸ I am not important.\par But God has shown his care for me,\par his servant girl.\par From now on, all people will say\par that I am blessed,\par

⁴⁹ because the Powerful One (God)\par has done great things for me.\par His name is very holy.\par

⁵⁰ God always gives mercy to those people\par that worship him.\par

⁵¹ God reached out his arm\par and showed his power:\par He scattered those people that are proud\par and think great things about themselves.\par

⁵² God brought down rulers from their thrones,\par and he raised up the humble people.\par

⁵³ God filled the hungry people\par with good things,\par but he sent the \{selfishly\} rich people\par away with nothing.\par

⁵⁴ God has helped Israel—the people he chose\par to serve him.\par He did not forget his promise to give us his mercy.\par

⁵⁵ God has done what he promised\par to our ancestors, {\cf2\super [17]} to Abraham, {\cf2\super [18]} \par and to his children forever.”\par

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then Mary went home.

⁵⁷ When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a boy.

⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord (God) was very good to her. They were happy for her.

⁵⁹ When the baby was eight days old, they came to circumcise {\cf2\super [19]} him. They wanted to name him Zechariah because this was his father’s name.

⁶⁰ But his mother said, “No! He will be named John.”

⁶¹ The people said to Elizabeth, “But no one in your family has this name (John)!”

⁶² Then they made signs to his father, “What would you like to name him?”

⁶³ Zechariah asked for something to write on. Then Zechariah wrote, “His name is John.” All the people were surprised.

⁶⁴ Then Zechariah could talk again. He began to praise God.

⁶⁵ And all their neighbors became afraid. In all the hill country of Judea people continued talking about all these things.

⁶⁶ All the people that heard about these things wondered about them. They thought, “What will this child (John) be?” They said this because the Lord (God) was with this child.

⁶⁷ Then Zechariah, John’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [20]} He told the people what would happen:

⁶⁸ “Praise to the Lord God of Israel (the Jews).\par God has come to help his people\par and has given them freedom.\par

⁶⁹ God has given us a powerful Savior\par from the family of God’s servant, David. {\cf2\super [21]} \par

⁷⁰ God said that he would do this.\par He said it through his holy prophets {\cf2\super [22]} \par that lived long ago.\par

⁷¹ God will save us from our enemies\par and from the power of all those\par that hate us.\par

⁷² God said he would give mercy to our fathers. {\cf2\super [23]} \par And he remembered his holy promise.\par

⁷³ God made a promise to Abraham, {\cf2\super [24]} \par our father.\par God promised to free us from the\par

⁷⁴ power of our enemies,\par so that we could serve him without fear.\par

⁷⁵ We will be holy and good before God as long as we live.\par

⁷⁶ “Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet {\cf2\super [25]} of the Most High (God).\par You will go first before the Lord\par to make the people ready\par for the Lord’s coming.\par

⁷⁷ You will make his people know\par that they will be saved.\par They will be saved by having\par their sins forgiven.\par

⁷⁸ “With the loving mercy of our God,\par a new Day from heaven\par will shine on us.\par

⁷⁹ God will help the people\par that live in darkness,\par in the fear of death.\par He will lead us in the way\par that goes toward peace.”\par

⁸⁰ And so the little boy (John) was growing up and becoming stronger in spirit. John lived in a place away from other people, until the time when he came out \{to tell God’s message\} to Israel (the Jews).