26 ^zIn the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin ^abetrothed¹ to a man whose name was Joseph, ^bof the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, ^cO favored one, ^dthe Lord is with you!”² 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, ^eyou will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 ^fHe will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the ^gthrone of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be ^hno end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”³

35 And the angel answered her, ⁱ“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born⁴ will be called holy—the ^jSon 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 ^knothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant⁵ of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

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 ^lwomb! 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 be⁶ a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”