Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction

67  Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

because he has come to help and has redeemed his people.

69  For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

70  as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,

71  that we should be saved from our enemies,

and from the hand of all who hate us.

72  He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors,

and to remember his holy covenant –

73  the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.

This oath grants

74  that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

may serve him without fear,

75  in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.

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 his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

78  Because of our God’s tender mercy

the dawn will break upon 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 kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.

2  Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire for taxes. 2  This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3  Everyone went to his own town to be registered. 4  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth because he was of the house and family line of David. 5  He went to be registered with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him, 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 strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.