Christmas Plan

³⁹A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town

⁴⁰where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.

⁴³Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?

⁴⁴When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.

⁴⁵You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

⁴⁶Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

⁴⁷How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

⁴⁸For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

⁵⁰He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.

⁵¹His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

⁵²He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.

⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.

⁵⁵For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

¹Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me.

²No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

³“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.

⁴The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.

⁵Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving are now full. The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman with many children wastes away.

⁶The LORD gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.

⁷The LORD makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up.

⁸He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order.

⁹“He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone.

¹⁰Those who fight against the LORD will be shattered. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives power to his king; he increases the strength of his anointed one.”