Elizabeth was six months pregnant when God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. There, Gabriel appeared to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph, descended from King David.
“Hello,” the angel said. “God is with you. And he has singled you out for a wonderful blessing.”
Mary thought that was an odd way to greet someone. She couldn’t figure out what he was talking about.
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel said. “God is delighted with you. Listen, you are going to get pregnant and give birth to a son. You are to call him Jesus…
As soon as she could, Mary got out of town. She took to the hills and went to a town in Judea. When she arrived at the home of Zechariah, Elizabeth welcomed her. At the mere sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child jumped inside of her, and the Holy Spirit filled her.
In a loud and happy voice Elizabeth sang out, “You are blessed more than any other woman. And the child inside you is blessed, as well. Think of it. The mother of my Lord has come to visit me. How could I be so fortunate? Look, when I heard nothing more than your greeting, the baby inside me jumped for joy. You are blessed indeed because you believed the Lord would do what he said he would do.” Luke 1:21-31; 30-45 Casual English Bible
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