Luke 1:11-20

Amplified Bible

¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him ^[a]John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy and delight, and many will rejoice over his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord; and will never drink wine or liquor, and he will be filled with and empowered to act by the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.^{(A) 16} He will turn many of the sons of Israel back [from sin] to [love and serve] the Lord their God. ¹⁷ It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous [which is to seek and submit to the will of God]—in order to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.”^(B)

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I be certain of this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in age.” ¹⁹ The angel replied and said to him, “I am Gabriel; I stand and minister in the [very] presence of God, and I have been sent [by Him] to speak to you and to bring you this good news.^{(C) 20 [b]}Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.”