Introduction

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things ^[a]accomplished among us, ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning ^[b]were eyewitnesses and ^[c]servants of the ^[d]word, ³ it seemed fitting for me as well, having ^[e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; ⁴ so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been ^[f]taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named ^[g]Zacharias, of the division of ^[h]Abijah; and he had a wife ^[i]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in ^[j]years.

⁸ Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. ¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear ^[k]gripped him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will ^[l]give him the name John. ¹⁴ You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit ^[m]while yet in his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸ Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in ^[n]years.” ¹⁹ The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who ^[o]stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰ And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

²¹ The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. ²² But 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 ^[p]making signs to them, and remained mute. ²³ When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

²⁴ After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she ^[q]kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, ²⁵ “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

Punishment for Wickedness Foretold

7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord ^[a]God to the land of Israel, ‘An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. ³ Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. ⁴ For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the Lord!’

⁵ “Thus says the Lord ^[b]God, ‘A disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! ⁶ An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it has come! ⁷ Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come, the day is near—tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. ⁸ Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. ⁹ My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will ^[c]repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, do the smiting.

¹⁰ ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your doom has gone forth; the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. ¹¹ Violence ^[d]has grown into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, none of their people, none of their wealth, nor anything eminent among them. ¹² The time has come, the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn; for wrath is against all their multitude. ¹³ Indeed, the seller will not ^[e]regain ^[f]what he sold as long as ^[g]they both live; for the vision regarding all their multitude will not ^[h]be averted, nor will any of them maintain his life by his iniquity.

¹⁴ ‘They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all ^[i]their multitude. ¹⁵ The sword is outside and the plague and the famine are within. He who is in the field will die by the sword; famine and the plague will also consume those in the city. ¹⁶ Even when their survivors escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them ^[j]mourning, each over his own iniquity. ¹⁷ All hands will hang limp and all knees will ^[k]become like water. ¹⁸ They will gird themselves with sackcloth and shuddering will overwhelm them; and shame will be on all faces and baldness on all their heads. ¹⁹ They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their ^[l]appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling.

The Temple Profaned

²⁰ They transformed the beauty of His ornaments into pride, and they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them. ²¹ I will give it into the hands of the foreigners as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as spoil, and they will profane it. ²² I will also turn My face from them, and they will profane My secret place; then robbers will enter and profane it.

²³ ‘Make the chain, for the land is full of ^[m]bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. ²⁴ Therefore, I will bring the worst of the nations, and they will possess their houses. I will also make the pride of the strong ones cease, and their holy places will be profaned. ²⁵ When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none. ²⁶ Disaster will come upon disaster and rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will be lost from the priest and counsel from the elders. ²⁷ The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with horror, and the hands of the people of the land will ^[n]tremble. According to their conduct I will deal with them, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the Lord.’”