Since many have undertaken to draw up a narrative of that which has been accomplished, as those who, from the beginning, became eyewitnesses and ministers of the delivered word, after accurately tracing all things from the first, it seemed good to write them in order for you, most noble Theophilus, that you might know the certainty of the words in which you have been instructed.
In the days of Herod king of Judea there was a priest of the class of Abijah named Zachariah and his wife Elizebeth. They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
They had no child, because Elizebeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days. While acting as priest he was burning incense in the temple of the Lord, and all the crowd of the people were praying in that hour. There appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Zachariah was afraid when he saw him, but the angel said to him, “Fear not, Zachariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizebeth will bear a son. You will call him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. He will be great before the Lord, and wine and strong drink he will by no means drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the sons of Israel to God. He will go before in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to children, the disobedient to the wisdom of the just and make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Zachariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? I am an aged man, and my wife is also.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God, and I am sent to speak to you, and bring you these good tidings. Because you didn’t believe my words, behold, you will be dumb and not able to speak until the day in which these things are accomplished.”
The people were waiting for Zachariah, and wondered why he was so long in the temple, but when he came out, he was not able to speak. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He made signs to them but remained speechless. When his service was completed, he departed to his house.
Elizebeth conceived, and hid herself for five months, saying, “The Lord dealt with me in the days in which He looked on me to take away my reproach among men.”
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth, to Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph of the house of David. Coming to her, the angel said, “Hail, highly favored, the Lord is with you.”
She was troubled and wondered what manner of greeting this could be. The angel said to her, “Fear not, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive a Son, and you will call Him Jesus. He will be the Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, seeing I know not a man?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Wherefore also the Holy One that is born will be called the Son of God. Your relative Elizebeth, she has conceived a son in her old age. This is the sixth month with her that is called barren for no word from God will be impossible.”
Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.
Mary rose and went into the mountainous countryside to the city of Judah, entered the house of Zachariah, greeted Elizebeth and the babe in her womb leapt. Elizebeth, filled with the Holy Spirit spoke out with a loud cry, and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why has the mother of my Lord come? Behold, as the voice of your salutation came into my ears, the babe in my womb leapt with joy. Blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment of the things spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour because He looked upon the lowly condition of His handmaid. Behold, from this time all generations will call me...
There was a census decree from Caesar Augustus that all the people of habitable lands should be counted. This took place when Cyrenius was governor of Syria, and all went to their own cities.
Being from the house of David, Joseph left Nazareth and went into Judea, to Bethlehem, the city of David, to be counted with Mary. While they were there, she bore and swathed her son, and because there was no room in the inn, she laid Him in a stall.
There were shepherds guarding their flock in the fields at night. An angel stood by them, the glory of the Lord shone about them, and they were afraid. The angel said to them, “Fear not! I bring you glad tidings of joy, which is for all the people. There is born today, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is the Anointed One of the Lord. This is a sign to you. You will find a babe swathed in a stall.”
Suddenly, there was a crowd of heavenly hosts praising God, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of His good pleasure.” When the angels had gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem, and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
They came in haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in the stall. When they saw Him, they made known the things that had been told to them about the child. All were amazed at the things told to them, but Mary kept silent, pondering in her heart what they said. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen.
Eight days had come to pass, and He was circumcised. They called Him Jesus. According to the law of Moses, when the purification had been completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every male that opens the womb will be called holy to the Lord. To offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
There was a just and devout man in Jerusalem named Simeon. As he waited for the Messiah, the Holy Spirit came upon him. It had been revealed to him that he will not see death until seeing the Lord’s anointment. He came into the Spirit, and when they brought the child Jesus, Simeon took Him into his arms, blessed God, and said, “Lord, let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of the people. A light for a revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” His father and mother were wondering at the things spoken concerning Him.
Simeon blessed them and said...
The word of God came to John in the wilderness in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the days of the chief priest Annas of Caiaphas.
John came into the region of Jordan, preaching the baptism of changing your mind for forgiveness of sins as it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet:
The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the rough ways smooth, and all flesh will see the salvation of God.
He said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Bring forth fruits worthy of a changed mind from your sin, and begin not to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as a father.’
“I say to you God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. The ax is lying at the root of the trees. Every tree that doesn’t bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The crowds asked him, “What then will we do?” He said to them, “He that has two coats, let him give to him that has none, and he that has food, let him do in like manner.”
The tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what will we do?” He said to them, “Exact no more than that which has been appointed to you.”
Soldiers also asked, “What will we also do?” He said to them, “Do violence to no one, accuse no one falsely, and be content with your wages.”
While the people were wondering whether John was the Anointed One, he answered, “I baptize you in water, but there comes He that is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to free. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. Whose winnowing shovel is in His hand to thoroughly cleanse...
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing for those days. The Devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, speak to this stone that it may become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘Not by bread alone will man live.’”
Taking Him up, he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The Devil said to Him, “I give you all this authority and the glory of them, for to me it is delivered and to whomever I will give it to. If you will worship me, all of this will be given to you.” Jesus said to him, “It is written: ‘You will worship the Lord your God, and him only will you serve.’”
He brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the wing of the temple, and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. It is written: ‘His angels will guard you safely. In their hands, they will take you up, lest perhaps you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘You will not put the Lord your God to the proof.’”
When the Devil had ended all the temptations, he departed from Him. Jesus returned to Galilee, and a fame concerning Him went forth through all the surrounding country. He taught in their synagogues, glorified by all.
He came to Nazareth and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath to teach. He was given the book of the prophet Isaiah. Having unrolled the book, finding His place He said:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty the bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Having given it back to the attendant, He sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. He began to say to them, “This day is fulfilled by this Scripture in your ears.”
All applauded and wondered at the words of grace that proceeded out of His mouth and said, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” He said, “You will speak this parable: ‘Physician, heal yourself.’”
They said to Him, “Whatever things we heard were done in Capernaum, do also here in your country.” He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. I tell you in truth that there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when heaven was shut up for three years and six months, when there came a great famine on the whole land. Not one of them was Elijah sent but to Sarepta of Sidon, a woman, a widow. There were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha the prophet, and not one of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian.” All were filled with anger. They rose up and thrust Him out of the city and brought Him to the brow of the mountain to cast Him down head first but passing through the midst of them, He went away.
He came down to Capernaum and taught them on the Sabbath. They were amazed at His teaching, for His word was with authority. In the synagogue there was a man that had the spirit of an unclean demon...
While the crowd pushed about Jesus by the lake of Gennesaret, He saw two ships on the shore. The fishermen had left and were washing their nets. Entering Simon's ship He asked him to put out a little from land. Sitting down in the ship He taught the crowds.
When He ceased speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets.” Simon said, “Master, through the whole night, we have toiled and taken nothing. Yet at your word, I will let down my nets.”
Letting down the nets they caught a great number of fish and their nets began to break. They made signs to their partners in the other ship to help them. They filled both ships so much that they began to sink, but Simon, seeing it, fell at the knees of Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Amazement seized on him at the number of fish. James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon, also did the same. Jesus said to Simon, “Fear not, you will catch men.” They drew the ships to land, left all and followed Him.
While He was in one of the cities, a man full of leprosy seeing Jesus, fell on his face and begged Him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” He stretched forth His hand and touched him, saying, “I will! Be clean.” The leprosy departed from him. Jesus charged him to tell no one and said, “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.” More went abroad to report concerning Him.
Many crowds came together to hear and be cured of their infirmities, but He withdrew into the desert and prayed.
On one of the days that He was teaching there were Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem, sitting watching Him. The power of the Lord was present that Jesus might heal. Men brought on a bed a paralytic man, but they could not find a way in because of the crowd. Going up on the housetop, they came through the tiling and let him down before Him. Seeing their faith He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus, perceiving their reasonings, said to them, “Why reason in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk?’ The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, Rise...