Luke 1:8

⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

⁷ But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.

One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

¹⁰ And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
KJV: And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
WEB: Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division
ASV: Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest`s office before God in the order of his course,
DARBY: And it came to pass, as he fulfilled his priestly service before God in the order of his course,
BLB: Now it came to pass in his serving as priest in the order of his division before God,

ÅB: Men det skjedde mens han gjorde prestetjeneste for Gud, da raden var kommet til hans skifte,
OTB: Nå skjedde det mens han utførte sine prestetjenester for Gud i sitt skifts orden,
B1930: Men det skjedde mens han gjorde prestetjeneste for Gud, da raden var kommet til hans skifte,

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Chronicles 8:14
In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.
Read in context
1 Chronicles 24:19
This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 31:2
Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—for the burnt offerings and peace offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for singing praises at the gates of the LORD’s dwelling.
Read in context
Luke 1:5
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron.
Read in context
Exodus 29:1
“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish,
Read in context
Ezra 6:18
They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
Read in context
Exodus 29:9
Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by a permanent statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 11:14
For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD.
Read in context