Luke 1:57–79

John the Baptist Is Born

⁵⁷Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to ¹give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

⁵⁸And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had ^amagnified His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.

⁵⁹And it happened that on ^athe eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father.

⁶⁰But his mother answered and said, “No, but ^ahe shall be called John.”

⁶¹And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

⁶²And they ^awere making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

⁶³And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “^aHis name is John.” And they all marveled.

^64aAnd at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing God.

⁶⁵And fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all ^athe hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶And all who heard these things put them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For ^athe hand of the ¹Lord was indeed with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

⁶⁷And his father Zechariah ^awas filled with the Holy Spirit, and ^bprophesied, saying:

⁶⁸“^aBlessed be the ¹Lord God of Israel,

For He visited and accomplished ^bredemption for His people,

⁶⁹And raised up a ^ahorn of salvation for us

In the house of David ^bHis servant—

^70aAs He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets ^bfrom of old—

^711aSalvation ^bfrom our enemies,

And from the hand of all who hate us,

^72aTo show mercy toward our fathers,

^bAnd to remember His holy covenant,

^73aThe oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

⁷⁴To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

^75aIn holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

⁷⁶“And you, child, will be called the ^aprophet of ^bthe Most High,

For you will go on ^cbefore the ¹Lord to ^dmake ready His ways,

⁷⁷To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

¹By ^athe forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which ^athe Sunrise from on high will visit us,

^79aTo shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

To direct our feet into the ^bway of peace.”