Luke 1:13-22
New Catholic Bible
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear for you a son, and you shall name him John. 14 He will be a source of joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
“He will never imbibe wine or any strong drink. Even when he is still in his mother’s womb, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, 16 and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to reconcile fathers with their children and to convert the disobedient to the ways of the righteous, so that a prepared people might be made ready for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be assured of this? For I am an old man and my wife is well past the stage of giving birth.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to convey to you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their appointed time, you will lose your power of speech and will become mute until the day that these things take place.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was delaying so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did emerge, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the sanctuary. He was only able to make signs to them, but he remained unable to speak.
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