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.^{(A) 20 [a]}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.”

²¹ The people [outside in the court] were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering about his long delay in the temple. ²² But when he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. ²³ When his time of priestly service was finished, he returned to his home.

²⁴ Now after this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she secluded herself completely, saying, ²⁵ “This is how the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor on me, to take away my ^[b]disgrace among men.”^(B)