When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God."
11 The Lord has sworn an oath to David, *
a promise from which he will not shrink:
12 ‘Of the fruit of your body *
shall I set upon your throne.
13 ‘If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them, *
their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’
14 For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; *
he has desired her for his habitation:
15 ‘This shall be my resting place for ever; *
here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.
16 ‘I will abundantly bless her provision; *
her poor will I satisfy with bread.
17 ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, *
and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.
18 ‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; *
I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.
19 ‘As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; *
but on him shall his crown be bright.’
8 I will listen to what the Lord God will say, *
for he shall speak peace to his people and to the faithful,
that they turn not again to folly.
9 Truly, his salvation is near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together, *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other;
11 Truth shall spring up from the earth *
and righteousness look down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give all that is good, *
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him *
and direct his steps in the way.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
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