Luke 1:57–80
57 Now the time 1had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.
58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had 1adisplayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on athe eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, 1after his father.
60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but ahe shall be called John.”
61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”
62 And they amade signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.
63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “aHis name is John.” And they were all astonished.
64 aAnd at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.
65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all athe hill country of Judea.
66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For athe hand of the Lord was certainly with him.
67 And his father Zacharias awas filled with the Holy Spirit, and bprophesied, saying:
68 “aBlessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished bredemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a ahorn of salvation for us
In the house of David bHis servant—
70 aAs He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets bfrom of old—
71 1aSalvation bfrom our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 aTo show mercy toward our fathers,
bAnd to remember His holy covenant,
73 aThe oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 aIn 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 Lord to dprepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
1By athe forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which athe Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 aTo shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the bway of peace.”
80 aAnd the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.