11 Bible Verses about Boys

In the days when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest whose name was Zechariah, who belonged to the division of Abijah. His wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Now they were both upright in the sight of God, walking without reproach in all the Lord's commands and requirements. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were far advanced in years.read more.
Once when he was acting as priest before God, when his division was on duty, it fell to his lot, in accordance with the priests' customs, to go into the sanctuary of the Lord to burn the incense, while all the throng of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense burning. In the meantime, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was agitated, even overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you must name him John. This will bring you gladness and delight, and many will rejoice over his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must drink no wine nor strong drink, and so he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his birth. And he will turn many of Israel's descendants to the Lord their God. He will go before Him in the spirit and the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the upright, to make ready for the Lord a people perfectly prepared." Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is far advanced in years." The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel; I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to talk with you and to tell you this good news. Now you will keep silent and be unable to talk until the day when this takes place, because you did not believe what I told you, for it will be fulfilled at the proper time." Meanwhile the people kept waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the sanctuary. But when he came out, he could not speak to them, and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. Meanwhile he kept on making signs to them, and remained dumb. But when the period of his service was over, he went back to his home. So after this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, "This is what the Lord has done for me when He smiled upon me to take away my disgrace among men."

So it was time for Elizabeth to bear a child, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and so they were rejoicing with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they tried to name him Zechariah, after his father.read more.
But his mother said, "Never! But he must be named John." Then they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives that bears that name." So they began to make signs to his father to find out what he might wish him to be named. Then he asked for a writing-tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all astonished. Then the use of his voice and tongue was at once restored,: and he began to speak, and continued to praise God. And all the neighbors were overwhelmed with awe, and all over the hill country of Judea these things were being talked, and all who heard them kept them in their hearts, and said, "What then is this child to be?" for the hand of the Lord was with him.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin there engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. So the angel came to her home and said, "Congratulations, you highly favored woman! The Lord be with you!"read more.
But she was agitated at what he said, and began to ponder what this greeting meant. Then the angel said, "Stop being afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen! You will become pregnant and bear a son, and you must name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His reign will have no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no husband?" Then the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and so your child will be called holy, the Son of God. And listen! your relative, Elizabeth, has herself too become pregnant, although she is old, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing is ever impossible for God." Then Mary said, "I am the Lord's slave. May what you say take place with me." Then the angel left her.

But just as this thought occurred to him, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for it is through the influence of the Holy Spirit that she has become an expectant mother. And she will have a son, and you must name Him Jesus, for it is He who is to save His people from their sins."

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they tried to name him Zechariah, after his father.

When He was eight days old and it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before Mary had conceived Him.

His parents were in the habit of going to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up as usual to the feast and stayed the usual time. When they returned, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were not aware of it.read more.
They supposed that He was somewhere in the caravan, and so they traveled a whole day before they began to make an anxious search for Him among His relatives and acquaintances. As they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem in anxious search for Him. And after three days they finally found Him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Now everyone who was listening to Him was showing astonishment at His intelligence and at His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were utterly amazed, and yet His mother said to Him, "My child, why did you treat us so? Just see how your father and I, in agony of mind, have been searching for you!" Then He said to them, "Why is it that you were searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what He said to them.

When they reached the crowd, a man came up to Him, kneeling before Him and saying, "Lord, do pity my son, for he has epilepsy and suffers excruciating pain, and often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him."read more.
And Jesus answered, "O you unbelieving and perverted people of the times! How long can I put up with you? Bring him here to me!" And Jesus reproved the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured that very moment.

When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. And all the people were utterly amazed when they saw Him, and ran up to Him and greeted Him. Then He asked them, "Why are you arguing with them?"read more.
A man from the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it convulses him, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth; and he is wasting away. So I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not do it." He answered them, "Oh, you unbelieving people of the times! How long must I be with you! How long must I put up with you! Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to Him. As soon as the spirit saw Him, it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and kept rolling over and foaming at the mouth. Then He asked his father, "How long has he been like this?" He answered, "From his childhood; and many a time it has thrown him into the fire or into the water, to destroy him. But if there is anything you can do for him, do pity us and help us!" Jesus said to him, "If there is anything I can do! Everything is possible for him who has faith!" The boy's father at once cried out and said, "I do have faith; help my lack of faith!" Then Jesus, because He saw that a crowd was rushing up to Him, reproved the foul spirit and said to it, "You deaf and dumb spirit, get out of him, I charge you, and never get into him again." Then it gave a shriek and violently convulsed the boy, and got out of him. And the boy looked like a corpse, so much so that the people said that he was dead. But Jesus grasped his hand and raised him, and he got up.

The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met Him. Then a man in the crowd at once shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child; all at once a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it convulses him until he foams at the mouth, and in a struggle it bruises him and then leaves him.read more.
I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered, "O you unbelieving, stubborn people of the times! How long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring him here to me." Even while the boy was coming to Him, the demon dashed him down and convulsed him, but Jesus reproved the foul spirit and cured the boy and gave back to his father. So they all continued to be utterly astounded at the greatness of God. Now while everybody was wondering at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,

Then Herod, because he saw that a trick had been played on him by the stargazers, was very angry, and sent and slaughtered all the boy babies in Bethlehem and in all that neighborhood, from two years down, in accordance with the time which he had found out from the stargazers.