Chapter 3 No.3

1 The angel appears to Anna;

2 tells her a daughter shall be born unto her,

3 devoted to the service of the Lord in the temple,

5, who, being a virgin, and not knowing man,

shall bring forth the Lord,

6 and gives her a sign therefore.

8 Joachim and Anna meet, and rejoice,

10 and praise the Lord.

11 Anna conceives, and brings forth a daughter called Mary.

AFTERWARDS the angel appeared

to Anna his wife, saying;

Fear not, neither think that

which you see is a spirit;

2 For I am that angel who hath

offered up your prayers and alms

before God, and am now sent to

you, that I may inform you, that

a daughter will be born unto you,

who shall be called Mary, and

shall be blessed above all women.

3 She shall be, immediately

upon her birth, full of the grace of

the Lord, and shall continue during

the three years of her weaning

in her father's house, and afterwards,

being devoted to the service of the Lord,

shall not depart from the temple,

till she arrive to years of discretion.

4 In a word, she shall there

serve the Lord night and day in

fasting and prayer, shall abstain

from every unclean thing, and

never know any man;

5 But, being an unparalleled instance

without any pollution or defilement,

and a virgin not knowing any man,

shall ring forth a son, and a maid

shall bring forth the Lord, who

both by his grace and name and works,

shall be the Saviour of the world.

6 Arise therefore, and go up to

Jerusalem, and when you shall

come to that which is called the

golden gate (because it is gilt with

gold), as a sign of what I have told

you, you shall meet your husband,

for whose safety you have been so

much concerned.

7 When therefore you find these

things thus accomplished, believe

that all the rest which I have told

you, shall also undoubtedly be

accomplished.

8 According therefore to the

command of the angel, both of

them left the places where they

were, and when they came to the

place specified in the angels

prediction, they met each other.

9 Then, rejoicing at each other's

vision, and being fully satisfied in

the promise of a child, they gave

due thanks to the Lord, who exalts

the humble.

10 After having praised the

Lord, they returned home, and

lived in a cheerful and assured

expectation of the promise of God.

11 So Anna conceived, and

brought forth a daughter, and,

according to the angel's command,

the parents did call her name Mary.