To the Church in Ephesus

¹“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.

²I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles.

³Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.

⁴But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love.

⁵Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

⁶But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.

⁹I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.

¹³I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits, yet you hold fast to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among you where Satan dwells.

¹⁴But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

¹⁵In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

¹⁶Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

¹⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.

¹⁹I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latest deeds are greater than your first.

²⁰But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

²¹Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.

²²Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

²³Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

²⁴But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you

²⁵than to hold fast to what you have until I come.

²⁶And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.

²⁷He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.

²⁸And I will give him the morning star.

²⁹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Dedication to Theophilus

¹Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,

²just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

³Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.

⁶Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.

⁸One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

¹⁰And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.

¹¹Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,

¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.

¹⁶Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their childrenand the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

¹⁹“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

²⁰And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.

²²When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

²³And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.

²⁴After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared,

²⁵“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

³⁰So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

³¹Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.

³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,

³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

³⁴“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be bornwill be called the Son of God.

³⁶Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.

³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,

⁴⁰where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

⁴³And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”

Mary’s Song

⁴⁶Then Mary said:“My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

⁴⁸For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.From now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For the Mighty One has done great things for me.Holy is His name.

⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear Him,from generation to generation.

⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;He has scattered those who are proudin the thoughts of their hearts.

⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones,but has exalted the humble.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things,but has sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴He has helped His servant Israel,remembering to be merciful,

⁵⁵as He promised to our fathers,to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.

⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.

⁶⁰But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”

⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”

⁶²So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.

⁶³Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

⁶⁴Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.

⁶⁵All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.

⁶⁶And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁶⁸“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,because He has visited and redeemed His people.

⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation for usin the house of His servant David,

⁷⁰as He spoke through His holy prophets,those of ages past,

⁷¹salvation from our enemiesand from the hand of all who hate us,

⁷²to show mercy to our fathersand to remember His holy covenant,

⁷³the oath He swore to our father Abraham,to grant us

⁷⁴deliverance from hostile hands,that we may serve Him without fear,

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before Himall the days of our lives.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be calleda prophet of the Most High;for you will go on before the Lordto prepare the way for Him,

⁷⁷to give to His people the knowledge of salvationthrough the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,by which the Dawnwill visit us from on high,

⁷⁹to shine on those who live in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide our feetinto the path of peace.”

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit;and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

¹After we had torn ourselves away from them, we sailed directly to Cos, and the next day on to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

²Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded it and set sail.

³After sighting Cyprus and passing south of it, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo.

⁴We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

⁵But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.

⁶And after we had said our farewells, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

⁷When we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day.

Paul Visits Philip the Evangelist

⁸Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven.

⁹He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

¹²When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴When he would not be dissuaded, we quieted down and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

¹⁵After these days, we packed up and went on to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us, and they took us to stay at the home of Mnason the Cypriot, an early disciple.

Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem

¹⁷When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us joyfully.

¹⁸The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were present.

¹⁹Paul greeted them and recounted one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

²¹But they are under the impression that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe our customs.

²²What then should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.

²³Therefore do what we advise you. There are four men with us who have taken a vow.

²⁴Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the law.

²⁵As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”

²⁶So the next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he entered the temple to give notice of the date when their purification would be complete and the offering would be made for each of them.

Paul Seized at the Temple

²⁷When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from the province of Asiasaw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,

²⁸crying out, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and against our law and against this place. Furthermore, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”

²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

³¹While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regimentreceived a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil.

³²Immediately he took some soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, and some another. And since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks.

³⁵When Paul reached the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.

³⁶For the crowd that followed him kept shouting, “Away with him!”

Paul Addresses the Crowd

³⁷As they were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”“Do you speak Greek?” he replied.

³⁸“Aren’t you the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the Assassins into the wilderness?”

³⁹But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak to the people.”

⁴⁰Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:

His Loving Devotion Endures Forever

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.His loving devotion endures forever.

²Give thanks to the God of gods.His loving devotion endures forever.

³Give thanks to the Lord of lords.His loving devotion endures forever.

⁴He alone does great wonders.His loving devotion endures forever.

⁵By His insight He made the heavens.His loving devotion endures forever.

⁶He spread out the earth upon the waters.His loving devotion endures forever.

⁷He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever.

⁸the sun to rule the day,His loving devotion endures forever.

⁹the moon and stars to govern the night.His loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁰He struck down the firstborn of EgyptHis loving devotion endures forever.

¹¹and brought Israel out from among themHis loving devotion endures forever.

¹²with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.His loving devotion endures forever.

¹³He divided the Red Seain twoHis loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁴and led Israel through the midst,His loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁵but sweptPharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.His loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁶He led His people through the wilderness.His loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁷He struck down great kingsHis loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁸and slaughtered mighty kings—His loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁹Sihon king of the AmoritesHis loving devotion endures forever.

²⁰and Og king of Bashan—His loving devotion endures forever.

²¹and He gave their land as an inheritance,His loving devotion endures forever.

²²a heritage to His servant Israel.His loving devotion endures forever.

²³He remembered us in our low estateHis loving devotion endures forever.

²⁴and freed us from our enemies.His loving devotion endures forever.

²⁵He gives food to every creature.His loving devotion endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven!His loving devotion endures forever.