¹⁷And he will prepare the way for the Lord. He will have the same spirit and power that Elijah had. He will teach parents how to love their children. He will also teach people who don’t obey to be wise and do what is right. In this way, he will prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.”

¹⁸Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is old too.”

¹⁹The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I serve God. I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰And now you will have to be silent. You will not be able to speak until after John is born. That’s because you did not believe my words. They will come true when the time is right.”

²¹During that time, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out. They wondered why he stayed in the temple so long. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple. They knew this because he kept motioning to them. He still could not speak.

²³When his time of service was over, he returned home. ²⁴After that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She stayed at home for five months. ²⁵“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days, he has been kind to me. He has taken away my shame among the people.”

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