Study Desk

At once Zacharias' mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking, praising and blessing and thanking God.

All who heard these things kept them in mind, saying, "What then will this little boy turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him [to bring about his birth].

Now Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him, and he prophesied, saying,

"Blessed (praised, glorified) be the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He has visited us and brought redemption to His people,

And He has raised up a horn of salvation [a mighty and valiant Savior] for us In the house of David His servant—

Just as He promised by the mouth of His holy prophets from the most ancient times—

To show mercy [as He promised] to our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant [the promised blessing],

"And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD (the Messiah) TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

To give His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,

The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel [as John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah].

And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city.

Simeon took Him into his arms, and blessed and praised and thanked God, and said,

And His [legal] father and His mother were amazed at what was said about Him.

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Listen carefully: this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that is to be opposed—

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast.

and as they were returning [to Nazareth], after spending the required number of days [at the Feast], the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this,

All who heard Him were amazed by His intelligence and His understanding and His answers.

When they saw Him, they were overwhelmed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us like this? Listen, Your father and I have been [greatly distressed and] anxiously looking for You."

He went down to Nazareth with them, and was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor] Tiberius Caesar's reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene—