Luke 1:4–22

⁴I want you to know that the things you have been taught are true.

The Coming Birth of John the Baptist

⁵Herod was king of Judea. During the time he was ruling, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to a group of priests named after Abijah. His wife Elizabeth also came from the family line of Aaron. ⁶Both of them did what was right in God’s eyes. They obeyed all the Lord’s commandments and rules faithfully. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was not able to have any. And they were both very old.

⁸One day Zechariah’s group was on duty. He was serving as a priest in God’s temple. ⁹He happened to be chosen, in the usual way, to go into the temple of the Lord. There he was supposed to burn incense. ¹⁰The time came for this to be done. All who had gathered to worship were praying outside.

¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. The angel was standing at the right side of the incense altar. ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was amazed and terrified.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must name him John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you. His birth will make many people very glad. ¹⁵He will be important in the Lord’s eyes.

“He must never use wine or other such drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he is born. ¹⁶He will bring many of Israel’s people back to the Lord their God. 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.