Luke 1:17–25

¹⁷“It is he who will ^ago as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of ^bElijah, ^cto turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For ^aI am an old man and my wife is advanced in ¹years.”

¹⁹The angel answered and said to him, “I am ^aGabriel, who ^1bstands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

²⁰“And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

²¹The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

²²But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he ^akept ¹making signs to them, and remained mute.

²³When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

²⁴After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she ¹kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying,

²⁵“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to ^atake away my disgrace among men.”