The Life of Jesus

He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,

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 Mary remained with her about three months, and turned back to her house.

And to Elisabeth was the time fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she bare a son,

and the neighbours and her kindred heard that the Lord was making His kindness great with her, and they were rejoicing with her.

And it came to pass, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias,

and his mother answering said, `No, but he shall be called John.'

And they said unto her--`There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,'

and they were making signs to his father, what he would wish him to be called,

and having asked for a tablet, he wrote, saying, `John is his name;' and they did all wonder;

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

And fear came upon all those dwelling around them, and in all the hill-country of Judea were all these sayings spoken of,

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.

And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,

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

And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant,

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

Salvation from our enemies, And out of the hand of all hating us,

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

An oath that He sware to Abraham our father,

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

To serve Him, in holiness and righteousness Before Him, all the days of our life.

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.