Luke 1, Numbers 33, Proverbs 31

Nov 26, 2025

Dedication to Theophilus
[1] Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, [2] just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, [3] it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, [4] that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
[5] In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. [6] And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. [7] But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
[8] Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, [9] according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. [10] And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. [11] And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. [12] And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. [13] But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14] And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15] for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. [16] And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, [17] and he will 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 for the Lord a people prepared.”
[18] And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” [19] And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. [20] And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” [21] And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. [22] And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. [23] And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
[24] After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, [25] “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Birth of Jesus Foretold
[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [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, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
[34] And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
[35] And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. [36] And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37] For nothing will be impossible with God.” [38] And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat
[46] And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
[47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
[48] for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
[49] for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
[50] And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
[51] He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
[52] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
[53] he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
[54] He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
[55] as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
[56] And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
[57] Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. [58] And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. [59] And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, [60] but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” [61] And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” [62] And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. [63] And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. [64] And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. [65] And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, [66] and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
[67] And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
[68] “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
[69] and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
[70] as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
[71] that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
[72] to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
[73] the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
[74] that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
[75] in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
[76] And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
[77] to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
[78] because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
[79] to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
[80] And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Recounting Israel’s Journey

[1] These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. [2] Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places. [3] They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, [4] while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them. On their gods also the LORD executed judgments.

[5] So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. [6] And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. [7] And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. [8] And they set out from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they went a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. [9] And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. [10] And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. [11] And they set out from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. [12] And they set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. [13] And they set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. [14] And they set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. [15] And they set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. [16] And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. [17] And they set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. [18] And they set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. [19] And they set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. [20] And they set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. [21] And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. [22] And they set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. [23] And they set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. [24] And they set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. [25] And they set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. [26] And they set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. [27] And they set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. [28] And they set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. [29] And they set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. [30] And they set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. [31] And they set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. [32] And they set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. [33] And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. [34] And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. [35] And they set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. [36] And they set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh). [37] And they set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.

[38] And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. [39] And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

[40] And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.

[41] And they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. [42] And they set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. [43] And they set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. [44] And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the territory of Moab. [45] And they set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. [46] And they set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. [47] And they set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. [48] And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho; [49] they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Drive Out the Inhabitants

[50] And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, [51] “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, [52] then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. [53] And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. [54] You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. [55] But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. [56] And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

The Words of King Lemuel

[1] The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

[2] What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows?
[3] Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
[4] It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
[5] lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
[6] Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;
[7] let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
[8] Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
[9] Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

The Woman Who Fears the LORD

[10] An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
[11] The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
[12] She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
[13] She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
[14] She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
[15] She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
[16] She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
[17] She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
[18] She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
[19] She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
[20] She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
[21] She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
[22] She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
[23] Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
[24] She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
[25] Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
[26] She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
[27] She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
[28] Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
[29] “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
[30] Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
[31] Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates. 

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