Luke 1
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Easy Bible・Luke 1
Luke 1:5
In 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.
In the time of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He and his wife Elizabeth were both righteous before God, but they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive. One day, while Zechariah was serving as a priest in the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him that his prayer had been heard and his wife Elizabeth would bear a son, whom they were to name John. The angel also said that John would be great in the sight of the Lord and filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. However, Zechariah doubted the angel's words because of his and his wife's old age. As a result, the angel made Zechariah unable to speak until the day John was born. Meanwhile, Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. She praised God for taking away her disgrace and blessing her with a child. When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin named Mary who was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. The angel told Mary that she had found favor with God and would conceive a son by the Holy Spirit. Mary, although initially confused, willingly accepted God's plan and declared herself as the Lord's servant. Mary then went to visit Elizabeth, and as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud voice, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' Mary responded with a song of praise to God, known as the Magnificat, expressing her gratitude for being chosen to bear the Savior of the world.
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