Luke 1:60-80 ▼

60 And answering, his mother said, “No, but he will be called John.”

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

62 And they were making signs to his father—what he might want him to be called.

63 And having asked for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they all marveled.

64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue; and he was speaking, blessing God.

65 And fear came upon all those dwelling around them. And in all the hill country of Judea, all these words were being talked about.

66 And all those having heard laid them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For also the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He visited and performed redemption for His people,

69 and He raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,

70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from the age,

71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those hating us,

72 to show mercy toward our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,

73 the oath that He swore to Abraham our father, to give us,

74 having been saved from the hand of our enemies, to serve Him without fear

75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people in forgiveness of their sins,

78 through the affections of mercy of our God, in which the Sunrise will visit us from on high,

79 to shine upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit; and he was in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to Israel.