Luke 1:57–79

John Is Born

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

⁵⁸Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had ^1adisplayed 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 Zacharias, ¹after his father.

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

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

⁶²And they ^amade 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 were all astonished.

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

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

⁶⁶All 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.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

⁶⁷And 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,

⁶⁹And has 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 Lord to ^dprepare 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 guide our feet into the ^bway of peace.”