God

For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy is His name,

And His kindness is to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,

The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,

He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,

As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed--to the age.'

and his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.

and all who heard did lay them up in their hearts, saying, `What then shall this child be?' and the hand of the Lord was with him.

`Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, Because He did look upon, And wrought redemption for His people,

As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age;

To do kindness with our fathers, And to be mindful of His holy covenant,

To give to us, without fear, Out of the hand of our enemies having been delivered,

And thou, child, Prophet of the Highest Shalt thou be called; For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, To prepare His ways.

To give knowledge of salvation to His people In remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercies of our God, In which the rising from on high did look upon us,

and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear.

And suddenly there came with the messenger a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying,

`Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace, among men--good will.'

And it came to pass, when the messengers were gone away from them to the heavens, that the men, the shepherds, said unto one another, `We may go over indeed unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that hath come to pass, that the Lord did make known to us.'

and the shepherds turned back, glorifying and praising God, for all those things they heard and saw, as it was spoken unto them.

as it hath been written in the Law of the Lord, --`Every male opening a womb shall be called holy to the Lord,'

and to give a sacrifice, according to that said in the Law of the Lord, `A pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.'

and it hath been divinely told him by the Holy Spirit--not to see death before he may see the Christ of the Lord.

then he took him in his arms, and blessed God, and he said,

because mine eyes did see Thy salvation,

a light to the uncovering of nations, and the glory of Thy people Israel.'