11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was terrified when he* saw the angel,* and fear fell upon him. 13 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 will call his name John.

14 And ⌊you will experience joy and exultation⌋,d

and many will rejoice at his birth.

15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord,

and he must never drink wine or beer,

and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit

while he is* still in his mother’s womb.

16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel

to the Lord their God.

17 And he will go on before him

in the spirit and power of Elijah,

to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,

and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous,

to prepare for the Lord a people made ready.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced ⌊in years⌋!”e 19 And the angel answered and* said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these things take place, ⌊because⌋f you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder* when* he was delayed in the temple. 22 And when he* came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. 23 And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home.

24 Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with me,* to take away my disgrace among people.”

The Prediction of Jesus’ Birth

26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee ⌊named⌋g Nazareth, 27 to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man ⌊named⌋h Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. 28 And he came to her and* said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son,

and you will call his name Jesus.

32 This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob ⌊forever⌋,i

and of his kingdom there will be no end.

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35 And the angel answered and* said to her,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth—she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For ⌊nothing will be impossible with God⌋.”j

38 So Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s female slave! May it happen to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.