₂₆In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. ₂₇He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. ₂₈The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”

₂₉Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant. ₃₀The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. ₃₁You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ₃₂He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, ₃₃and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end!”

₃₄Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”

₃₅The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. ₃₆Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. ₃₇For there is nothing that God cannot do.”

₃₈“I am the Lord's servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.