Jesus · c. 7–6 BC
Chapter 3
Mary
Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”Then the angel departed from her.
For five months, had kept herself hidden away. She was the wife of a named , and the two of them had grown old without children, because Elizabeth had never been able to have any. But while Zacharias was burning in the temple, an angel had appeared to him and told him that Elizabeth would give birth to his son. When Zacharias asked how he could be sure of it, the angel had answered, “I am , who stands in the presence of God.” Gabriel told Zacharias that because he didn’t believe, he would not be able to speak until the day it all happened. And after that, Elizabeth had become pregnant.
Then, when Elizabeth was in her sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of , in . He was sent to a who was engaged to a man named , from King ’s family. The virgin’s name was .
The angel came in and said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
But when Mary saw him, she was very troubled by what he said, and she wondered what a greeting like this could mean.
“Mary, don’t be afraid,” the angel said to her, “because you have found favor with God. Look, you will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him . He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the . The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his ancestor, and he will reign over ’s people forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. Look, your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son too, in her old age. People called her the woman who couldn’t have children, and this is her sixth month. Nothing spoken by God is impossible.”
“Here I am, the servant of the Lord,” said Mary. “Let it be done to me just as you have said.” Then the angel went away from her.
Around that time, Mary set off quickly for a town of , in the hill country. She went into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She cried out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why am I given such an honor, to have the mother of my Lord come to me? Look, when I heard you greet me, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! Blessed is she who believed, because what the Lord has told her will come true!”
Mary said:
“My soul praises how great the Lord is,and my spirit has found joy in God my Savior,for he has seen how lowly his servant is.Look, from now on, all generations will call me blessed,for he who is mighty has done great things for me.Holy is his name.His mercy is on those who ,generation after generation.He has shown the strength of his arm.He has scattered people whose hearts are full of proud thoughts.He has pulled princes down from their thrones,and he has raised the lowly high.He has filled the hungry with good things.He has sent the rich away empty.He has given help to Israel, his servant,so that he would remember to show mercy,as he said to our ancestors,to and his forever.”
Mary stayed on with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she went back home.