26In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went 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. 30But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. 34How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin? 35The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called Or [So the child to be born will be called holy,] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37For no word from God will ever fail. 38I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May your word to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her. 39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah's home 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 child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As 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 would fulfill his promises to her!

4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet Or [was a righteous man and] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

5he Or [sight in love. [5] He] predestined us for adoption to sonship The Greek word for [adoption to sonship] is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.