Mary’s Song of Praise

⁴⁶ And Mary said,‘My soul magnifies the Lord,⁴⁷   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,⁴⁸ for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,   and holy is his name.⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him   from generation to generation.⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,   and lifted up the lowly;⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,   and sent the rich away empty.⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,   in remembrance of his mercy,⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Zechariah’s Prophecy

⁶⁷ Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:⁶⁸ ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,   for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty saviour for us   in the house of his servant David,⁷⁰ as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,⁷¹   that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,   and has remembered his holy covenant,⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,   to grant us⁷⁴that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,might serve him without fear,⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness   before him all our days.⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;   for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people   by the forgiveness of their sins.⁷⁸ By the tender mercy of our God,   the dawn from on high will break upon us,⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,   to guide our feet into the way of peace.’