Luke 1 – NIV & CCBT

New International Version

Luke 1:1-80

Introduction

1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled1:1 Or been surely believed among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37For no word from God will ever fail.”

38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

46And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

50His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

53He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

54He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

55to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

69He has raised up a horn1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king. of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

71salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us—

72to show mercy to our ancestors

and to remember his holy covenant,

73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear

75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

80And the child grew and became strong in spirit1:80 Or in the Spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

路加福音 1:1-80

1-2提阿非羅大人,已經有很多人根據最初的目擊者和傳道者給我們的口述,把我們中間發生的事記載下來。 3我把一切事情從頭至尾仔細查考之後,決定按次序寫出來, 4使你知道自己所學的道都是有真憑實據的。

天使預告施洗者約翰出生

5猶太希律執政期間,亞比雅的班裡有位祭司名叫撒迦利亞,他妻子伊莉莎白亞倫的後裔。 6夫妻二人遵行主的一切誡命和條例,無可指責,在上帝眼中是義人。 7但他們沒有孩子,因為伊莉莎白不能生育,二人又年紀老邁。

8有一天,輪到撒迦利亞他們那一班祭司當值, 9他們按照祭司的規矩抽籤,抽中撒迦利亞到主的殿裡去燒香。 10眾百姓都在外面禱告。 11那時,主的天使在香壇的右邊向撒迦利亞顯現, 12撒迦利亞見了,驚慌害怕起來。

13天使對他說:「撒迦利亞,不要害怕,你的禱告已蒙垂聽。你的妻子伊莉莎白要為你生一個兒子,你要給他取名叫約翰14你必歡喜快樂,許多人也會因為他的誕生而欣喜雀躍, 15因為他將成為主偉大的僕人。他必滴酒不沾,並且在母腹裡就被聖靈充滿。 16他將勸導許多以色列人回心轉意,歸順主——他們的上帝。 17他將以先知以利亞的心志和能力作主的先鋒,使父親的心轉向兒女,使叛逆的人回轉、順從義人的智慧,為主預備合用的子民。」

18撒迦利亞對天使說:「我已經老了,我的妻子也上了年紀,我如何知道這是真的呢?」 19天使回答說:「我是侍立在上帝面前的加百列,奉命來向你報這喜訊。 20我說的這些話到時候必定應驗。但因為你不肯相信我的話,所以這事成就以前,你將變成啞巴,不能說話。」

21人們在等候撒加利亞,見他在聖殿裡遲遲不出來,都感到奇怪。 22後來他出來了,卻成了啞巴,不能說話,只能打手勢,大家意識到他在聖殿裡看見了異象。 23撒迦利亞供職期滿,就回家去了。 24不久,伊莉莎白果然懷了孕,她有五個月閉門不出。 25她說:「主真是眷顧我,除掉了我不生育的羞恥。」

天使預告耶穌降生

26伊莉莎白懷孕六個月的時候,天使加百列又奉上帝的命令到加利利拿撒勒27去見一位童貞女,她叫瑪麗亞瑪麗亞已經和大衛的後裔約瑟訂了婚。

28天使到了瑪麗亞那裡,說:「恭喜你!蒙大恩的女子,主與你同在!」

29瑪麗亞聽了覺得十分困惑,反覆思想這話的意思。

30天使對她說:「瑪麗亞,不要害怕,你在上帝面前已經蒙恩了。 31你要懷孕生子,並給祂取名叫耶穌。 32祂偉大無比,將被稱為至高者的兒子,主上帝要把祂祖先大衛的王位賜給祂。 33祂要永遠統治以色列1·33 以色列」希臘文是「雅各的家」。,祂的國度永無窮盡。」

34瑪麗亞對天使說:「這怎麼可能呢?我還是童貞女。」

35天使回答說:「聖靈要臨到你身上,至高者的能力要蔭庇你,所以你要生的那聖嬰必稱為上帝的兒子。 36看啊,你的親戚伊莉莎白年紀老邁,一向不能生育,現在已經懷男胎六個月了。 37因為上帝無所不能。」

38瑪麗亞說:「我是主的婢女,願你所說的話在我身上成就。」於是天使離開了她。

瑪麗亞看望伊莎白

39不久,瑪麗亞便動身趕到猶太山區的一座城, 40進了撒迦利亞的家,向伊莉莎白請安。 41伊莉莎白一聽見瑪麗亞的問安,腹中的胎兒便跳動起來,伊莉莎白被聖靈充滿, 42高聲喊著說:「在婦女中你是最蒙福的!你腹中的孩子也是蒙福的! 43我主的母親來探望我,我怎麼敢當呢? 44我一聽到你問安的聲音,腹中的孩子就歡喜跳動。 45相信主所說的話必實現的女子有福了!」

46瑪麗亞說:

「我的心尊主為大,

47我的靈因我的救主上帝而歡喜,

48因祂眷顧我這卑微的婢女,

從今以後,

世世代代都要稱我是有福的。

49全能者在我身上行了奇事,

祂的名是神聖的。

50祂憐憫敬畏祂的人,

直到世世代代。

51祂伸出臂膀,施展大能,

驅散心驕氣傲的人。

52祂使當權者失勢,

叫謙卑的人升高。

53祂使饑餓的得飽足,

叫富足的空手而去。

54祂扶助了自己的僕人以色列

55祂要施憐憫給亞伯拉罕和他的子孫,

直到永遠,

正如祂對我們祖先的應許。」

56瑪麗亞伊莉莎白同住了約三個月,便回家去了。

施洗者約翰出生

57伊莉莎白的產期到了,生下一個兒子。 58親戚和鄰居聽見主向她大施憐憫,都和她一同歡樂。 59到了第八天,他們來給孩子行割禮,想照他父親的名字給他取名叫撒迦利亞

60伊莉莎白說:「不!要叫他約翰。」

61他們說:「你們家族中沒有人用這個名字啊!」 62他們便向他父親打手勢,問他要給孩子起什麼名字。 63撒迦利亞就要了一塊寫字板,寫上:「他的名字叫約翰。」大家看了都很驚奇。 64就在那時,撒迦利亞恢複了說話的能力,便開口讚美上帝。 65住在周圍的人都很懼怕,這消息很快就傳遍了整個猶太山區。 66聽見的人都在想:「這孩子將來會怎樣呢?因為主與他同在。」

撒迦利亞的預言

67孩子的父親撒迦利亞被聖靈充滿,便預言說:

68「主——以色列的上帝當受稱頌,

因祂眷顧、救贖了自己的子民,

69在祂僕人大衛的家族中為我們興起了一位大能的拯救者1·69 拯救者」希臘文是「拯救的角」。

70正如祂從亙古藉著祂聖先知們的口所說的。

71祂要從仇敵和一切恨我們之人手中拯救我們。

72祂憐憫我們的祖先,

持守自己的聖約,

73就是祂對我們的先祖亞伯拉罕所起的誓,

74要把我們從仇敵手中拯救出來,

75使我們一生一世在聖潔和公義中坦然無懼地事奉祂。

76至於你,我的兒子啊!

你將要被稱為至高者的先知,

因為你要走在主的前面,

為祂預備道路,

77使百姓因罪得赦免而明白救恩的真諦。

78由於上帝的憐憫,

清晨的曙光必從高天普照我們,

79照亮那些生活在黑暗中和死亡陰影下的人,

帶領我們走平安的道路。」

80那孩子漸漸長大,心靈強健,在向以色列人公開露面之前,一直住在曠野。