Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
As the Church!
In the name of Jesus we are dare to proclaim:
God the Son Jesus Christ’s Virgin birth!
(Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 9:6) For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Strong and Mighty God, The Eternal Father, The Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:7) Of the increase of His government and peace upon the throne of David there will be no end; and upon His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will accomplish this.
(Luke 1:1) Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,
(Luke 1:2) just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, delivered them to us,
(Luke 1:3) it seemed good to me also, having closely followed all things from the very first, to write it to you in orderly fashion, most excellent Theophilus,
(Luke 1:4) that you may know the certainty of the words which you were told.
(Luke 1:5) 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.
(Luke 1:6) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.
(Luke 1:7) But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
(Luke 1:8) So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
(Luke 1:9) according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
(Luke 1:10) And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
(Luke 1:11) And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
(Luke 1:12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
(Luke 1:13) 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.
(Luke 1:14) And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
(Luke 1:15) 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.
(Luke 1:16) And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
(Luke 1:17) 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.
(Luke 1:18) And Zacharias said to the angel, By what shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.
(Luke 1:19) 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.
(Luke 1:20) 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 season.
(Luke 1:21) And the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered that he lingered so long in the temple.
(Luke 1:22) But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they recognized that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he made signs to them and remained speechless.
(Luke 1:23) And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were fulfilled, that he departed to his own house.
(Luke 1:24) Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
(Luke 1:25) Thus the Lord has done with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.
(Luke 1:26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
(Luke 1:27) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
(Luke 1:28) And having come in, the angel said to her, Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!
(Luke 1:29) But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and contemplated what kind of greeting this might be.
(Luke 1:30) And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor from God.
(Luke 1:31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
(Luke 1:32) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David.
(Luke 1:33) And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
(Luke 1:34) Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I do not know a man?
(Luke 1:35) And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
(Luke 1:36) Now behold, Elizabeth your kinswoman has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
(Luke 1:37) For not one declaration of God will be impossible.
(Luke 1:38) Then Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.
(Luke 1:39) And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
(Luke 1:40) and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
(Luke 1:41) 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.
(Luke 1:42) And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
(Luke 1:43) And why is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
(Luke 1:44) For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
(Luke 1:45) Blessed is she who believes, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
(Luke 1:46) And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord,
(Luke 1:47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
(Luke 1:48) For He regards the lowly state of His handmaid; for behold, henceforth all generations will count me blessed.
(Luke 1:49) For He who is mighty does great things to me, and holy is His name.
(Luke 1:50) And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
(Luke 1:51) He performs mightily with His arm; He scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
(Luke 1:52) He puts down the mighty from their thrones, and exalts the lowly.
(Luke 1:53) He fills the hungry with good things, and the rich He sends away empty.
(Luke 1:54) He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,
(Luke 1:55) as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
(Luke 1:56) And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
(Luke 1:57) Now Elizabeth’s time was fulfilled for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.
(Luke 1:58) And her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had magnified His mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her.
(Luke 1:59) So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
(Luke 1:60) And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
(Luke 1:61) But they said to her, There is no one among your kindred who is called by this name.
(Luke 1:62) So they made signs to his father; what he would have him called.
(Luke 1:63) And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. So they all marveled.
(Luke 1:64) And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.
(Luke 1:65) And fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.
(Luke 1:66) And all those who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What kind of child will this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.
(Luke 1:67) And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
(Luke 1:68) Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people,
(Luke 1:69) and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
(Luke 1:70) as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began,
(Luke 1:71) Deliverance from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
(Luke 1:72) to perform mercy with our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
(Luke 1:73) the oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
(Luke 1:74) To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,
(Luke 1:75) in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
(Luke 1:76) And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
(Luke 1:77) to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,
(Luke 1:78) through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
(Luke 1:79) to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
(Luke 1:80) So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his proclamation to Israel.
(Luke 2:1) And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
(Luke 2:2) This census first took place while Cyrenius was governing Syria.
(Luke 2:3) So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
(Luke 2:4) 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,
(Luke 2:5) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
(Luke 2:6) So it was, that while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to give birth.
(Luke 2:7) And she gave birth to 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.
(Luke 2:8) Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
(Luke 2:9) And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
(Luke 2:10) And the angel said to them, Do not fear, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
(Luke 2:11) For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(Luke 2:12) And this is the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
(Luke 2:13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
(Luke 2:14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men!
(Luke 2:15) And so it came about, when the angels had departed from them into Heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us go at once to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.
(Luke 2:16) And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
(Luke 2:17) Now when they had seen, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
(Luke 2:18) And all those who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
(Luke 2:19) But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
(Luke 2:20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
(Luke 2:21) 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.
(Luke 2:22) And when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
(Luke 2:23) (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord),
(Luke 2:24) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.
(Luke 2:25) 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.
(Luke 2:26) 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.
(Luke 2:27) 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,
(Luke 2:28) he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
(Luke 2:29) Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;
(Luke 2:30) for my eyes have seen Your Salvation
(Luke 2:31) which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
(Luke 2:32) a Light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the Glory of Your people Israel.
(Luke 2:33) And Joseph and His mother marveled at the things which were spoken concerning Him.
(Luke 2:34) And 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
(Luke 2:35) (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
(Luke 2:36) And 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;
(Luke 2:37) and she 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.
(Luke 2:38) And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke concerning Him to all those in Jerusalem who looked for redemption.
(Luke 2:39) So when they had performed all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
(Luke 2:40) And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
(Luke 2:41) Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
(Luke 2:42) And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
(Luke 2:43) And when they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
(Luke 2:44) but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
(Luke 2:45) So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
(Luke 2:46) And so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
(Luke 2:47) And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
(Luke 2:48) And when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Son, why have You done this to us? Behold, Your father and I have sought You, greatly distressed.
(Luke 2:49) And He said to them, Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I need to be in the things of My Father?
(Luke 2:50) But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
(Luke 2:51) And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them; but His mother kept all these words in her heart.
(Luke 2:52) And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
(Luke 3:1) Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
(Luke 3:2) while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the Word of God came upon John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
(Luke 3:3) And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching an immersion of repentance for the remission of sins,
(Luke 3:4) as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.
(Luke 3:5) Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways level;
(Luke 3:6) and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
(Luke 3:7) Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be immersed by him, Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
(Luke 3:8) Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
(Luke 3:9) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(Luke 3:10) So the multitudes asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
(Luke 3:11) He answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.
(Luke 3:12) Then tax collectors also came to be immersed, and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?
(Luke 3:13) And he said to them, Collect no more than what is appointed for you.
(Luke 3:14) Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, And what shall we do? So he said to them, Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.
(Luke 3:15) Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether or not he was the Christ,
(Luke 3:16) John answered, saying to them all, I indeed immerse you in water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and fire.
(Luke 3:17) His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.
(Luke 3:18) And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.
(Luke 3:19) But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
(Luke 3:20) also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
(Luke 3:21) Now when all the people were immersed, it came to pass that Jesus also was immersed; and while He prayed, the Heaven was opened.
(Luke 3:22) And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven which said, You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.
(Luke 3:23) And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
(Luke 3:24) the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,
(Luke 3:25) the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
(Luke 3:26) the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
(Luke 3:27) the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
(Luke 3:28) the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
(Luke 3:29) the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
(Luke 3:30) the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
(Luke 3:31) the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
(Luke 3:32) the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
(Luke 3:33) the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
(Luke 3:34) the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
(Luke 3:35) the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
(Luke 3:36) the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
(Luke 3:37) the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
(Luke 3:38) the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
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