Luke · Chapter 1

[ edit] Forſoþe for manye men enforceden to ordeyne þe tellyng of þingis, whiche ben fillid in vs, as þei þat ſeyn atte þe bigynnyng, and weren miniſtris of þe word, bitaken, it is ſeen alſo to me, hauynge alle þingis diligentli bi ordre, to write to þee, þou beſt Theofile, þat þou knowe þe treuþe of þo wordis, of whiche þou art lerned. Þer was ſum preſt, Zacharie by name, in þe dayes of Eroude, kyng of Judee, of þe ſort of Abia, and his wyf of þe douȝtris of Aaron, and hir name Elizabeþ. Soþli þei boþe weren iuſte bifore God, goynge in alle þe maundementis and iuſtifyingis of þe Lord, wiþ outen pleynte.

And a ſone was not to hem, for þat Elizabeþ was bareyne, and boþe hadden gon forþ fer in her dayes. Soþli it was don, whanne Sacharie was ſet in preſþod, in þe ordre of his ſort bifore God, vp þe cuſtom of preſþod, by ſort he wente forþ, þat he entrid in to þe temple of þe Lord, ſchulde putte enſence. And alle þe multitude of þe peple was wiþouteforþ, preiynge in þe our of encence. Soþli an aungel of þe Lord apperide to him, ſtondinge on þe riȝþalf of þe auter of enſence. And Sacharie ſeynge was diſturblid, and drede felde doun on him.

Forſoþ þe aungel ſeiþ to hym, Zacharie, drede þou not; for þi preier is herd, and Elizabeþ, þi wyf, ſchal bere to þee a ſone, and his name ſchal be clepid John. And ioye and gladinge ſchal be to þee; and manye ſchulen enioye in his natyuite. Soþli he ſchal be greet bifore þe Lord, and he ſchal not drynke wyn and ſydir, and he ſchal be fulfillid of þe Hooly Goſt ȝit of his modir wombe. And he ſchal conuerte manye of þe ſones of Iſrael to þe Lord God of hem; and he ſchal go bifore him in þe ſpirit and vertu of Helye; and he ſchal turne þe hertis of fadris in to ſones, and men out of bileue to þe prudence of iuſte men, for to make redy a parfyt peple to þe Lord.

And Zachari ſeide to þe aungel, Wherof ſchal I wite þis? for I am old, and my wyf haþ gon fer in hir dayes. And þe aungel anſweringe ſeide to him, Forſoþ I am Gabriel, þat ſtonde nyȝ bifore God; and I am ſent to þee for to ſpeke, and to euangeliſe, or telle, to þee þes þingis. And loo! þou ſhalt be ſtille, or doumbe, and þou ſchalt not mowe ſpeke til in to þe day, in which þes þingis ſchulen be don; for þat þou haſt not bileuyd to my wordis, whiche ſchulen be fillid in her tyme. And þe peple was abidinge Zacharie, and þei wondriden, for he tariede in þe temple. Forſoþ he gon out myȝte not ſpeke to hem, and þei knewen þat he hadde ſeyn a vicioun in þe temple.

And he was bekenynge to hem, and dwellide doumb. And it was maad, as þe dayes of his office weren fulfillid, he wente in to his hous. Forſoþ after dayes Elizabeþ, his wyf, conſeyuede, and hidde hir fyue moneþis, ſeyinge, For ſo þe Lord dide to me in þe dayes, in þe whiche he bihelde, for to take a wey my ſchenſchip a mong men. Soþely in þe ſixte moneþe þe aungel Gabriel was ſent fro God in to a citee of Galilee, to which þe name Nazareþ, to a mayden, weddid to a man, to whom þe name was Joſeph, of þe houſe of Dauiþ; and þe name of þe mayden Marie. And þe aungel gon yn to hir ſeide, Heil, ful of grace; þe Lord be wiþ þee; bleſſid be þou among wymmen.

Which, whanne ſhe had herd, was troublid in his word, and þouȝte what maner ſalutacioun þis was. And þe aungel ſeide to hir, Ne drede þou, Marie, ſoþli þou haſt founden grace anemptis God. Loo! þou ſchalt conſeyue in þe wombe, and ſchalt bere a ſone, and þou ſchalt clepe his name Jheſu. Þis ſchal be greet, and he ſchal be clepid þe ſone of þe Hiȝeſte; and þe Lord God ſchal ȝyue to him þe ſeete of Dauiþ, his fadir, and he ſchal regne in þe hous of Jacob wiþ outen ende, and of his rewme ſchal be non ende. Forſoþ Marie ſeiþ to þe aungel, On what manere ſchal þis þing be don, for I knowe not man?

And þe aungel anſweringe ſeide to hir, Þe Hooly Goſt ſchal come fro aboue in to þee, and þe vertu of þe Hiȝeſte ſchal ſchadewe vnto þee; þerfore and þat hooly þing þat ſchal be born of þee, ſchal be clepid þe ſone of God. And loo! Elizabeþ, þi coſyneſſ, and ſche haþ conceyued a ſone in hir elde, and þis moneþe is þe ſixte to hir þat is clepid bareyne; for euery word ſchal not be inpoſſible anemptis God. Forſoþ Marie ſeide, Loo! þe hand mayden of þe Lord; be it don to me aftir þi word. And þe aungel departide fro hir. Soþli Marie riſinge vp in þo dayes, wente wiþ haſte in to þe hilly placis, in to a citee of Judee. And ſche entride yn to þe hows of Zacharie, and grette Elizabeþ.

And it was don, as Elizabeþ herde þe ſalutacioun of Marie, þe ȝonge child in hir wombe gladide. And Elizabeþ was fillid wiþ þe Hooly Goſt, and criede wiþ grete voys, and ſeide, Bleſſid be þou a mong wymmen, and bleſſid be þe fruyt of þi wombe. And wherof þis þing to me, þat þe modir of my Lord come to me? Loo! forſoþe as þe vois of þi ſalutacioun was maad in myn eeris, þe ȝonge child gladide wiþ ioye in my wombe. And bleſſid þou ert, þat haſt bileuyd, for þo þingis þat ben ſeid to þee fro þe Lord, ſchulen be parfytli don. And Marie ſeide, My ſoule magnyfieþ þe Lord, and my ſpirit haþ gladid in God, myn heelþe. For he haþ biholden þe mekeneſſe of his hand mayde.

Loo! forſoþ of þis alle generaciouns ſchulen ſeie me bleſſid. For he þat is myȝti haþ don grete þingis to me, and his name is hooly. And his mercy is fro kynredis in to kynredis, to men dredinge him. He made myȝte in his arme, he ſcateride proude men wiþ mynde of his herte. He puttide doun myȝty men fro ſeete, and enhaunſide meke. He haþ fillid hungry men wiþ goode þingis, and he haþ left ryche men voyde. He, hauynge mynde of his mercy, took vp Iſrael, his child; as he haþ ſpoken to oure fadris, to Abraham and to his ſeed, in to worldis. Forſoþ Marye dwellide wiþ hir as þree moneþis, and turnyde aȝen in to hir hous.

Soþly þe tyme of beringe child was fillid to Elizabeþ, and ſche childide a ſone. And þe neiȝeboris and coſyns of hir herden, for þe Lord hadde magnyfied his mercy wiþ hir; and þei þankiden him. And it was don, in þe eiȝteþe day, þei camen for to circumſide þe child; and þei clepiden him Sacharie, by name of his fadir. And his modir anſweringe ſeide, Nay, but he ſchal be clepid John. And þei ſeiden to hir, For no man is in þi kyn, þat is clepid bi þis name. Soþli þei maden a ſyngne to his fadir, whom he wolde him for to be clepid. And he axinge a poyntel, wroot, ſeyinge, John is his name. And alle men wondriden. Forſoþ his mouþ was openyd anon, and his tunge, and he ſpak, bleſſinge God.

And drede was maad on alle her neiȝeboris, and þes wordis weren puppliſchid on alle þe hilly placis of Judee. And alle men þat herden puttedyn in her herte, ſeyinge, Who, geſſiſt þou, þis child ſchal be? And ſoþli þe hond of þe Lord was wiþ him. And Zacharie, his fadir, was fillid wiþ þe Hooli Goſt, and propheſiede, ſeyinge, Bleſſid be þe Lord God of Iſrael, for he haþ viſitid, and maad redempcioun of his peple. And he haþ rerid to vs an horn of helþe in þe hous of Dauiþ, his child. As he ſpak by þe mouþe of hooly prophetis, þat ben fro þe world. Helþe fro oure enemyes, and fro þe hond of alle men þat hatiden vs. To do mercy wiþ oure fadris, and to haue mynde of his hooly teſtament.

Þe ooþ þat he ſwor to Abraham, oure fadir, to ȝyue him ſilf to vs. Þat we wiþoute drede deliuerid fro þe hond of oure enemyes, ſerue to him, in hoolyneſſe and riȝtfulneſſe bifore him in alle oure dayes. And þou, child, ſchalt be clepid þe prophete of þe Hiȝeſte; for þou ſchalt go bifore þe face of þe Lord, to make redy his weyes. For to ȝyue þe ſcience of helþe to his peple, in to remiſcioun of her ſynnes; bi þe entraylis of mercy of oure God, in whiche he ſpryngynge vp fro an hiȝ haþ viſytid vs. For to ȝyue liȝt to hem þat ſitten in derkneſſis, and in ſchadewe of deþ; for to dreſſe oure feet in to þe wey of pees.

Soþli þe child waxide, and was comfortid in ſpirit, and was in deſert til to þe day of his ſchewinge to Iſrael.