1. To Theophilus:Many have tried to give a history of the things that happened among us.
2. They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message.
3. I myself studied everything carefully from the beginning, your Excellency. I thought I should write it out for you. So I put it in order in a book.
4. I write these things so that you can know that what you have been taught is true.
5. During the time Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to Abijah’s group. Zechariah’s wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.
6. Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good. They did everything the Lord commanded and told people to do. They were without fault in keeping his law.
7. But Zechariah and Elizabeth had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby; and both of them were very old.
8. Zechariah was serving as a priest before God for his group. It was his group’s time to serve.
9. According to the custom of the priests, he was chosen to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense.