Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,(A) he was chosen by lot,(B) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.(C) 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.(D)

11 Then an angel(E) of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.(F) 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.(G) 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,(H) Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.(I) 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,(J) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(K) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit(L) even before he is born.(M) 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord,(N) in the spirit and power of Elijah,(O) to turn the hearts of the parents to their children(P) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(Q)

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?(R) I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”(S)

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.(T) I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak(U) until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

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So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, [a]his lot fell (A)to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 (B)And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of (C)the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, (D)he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (E)you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and (F)many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be (G)great in the sight of the Lord, and (H)shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, (I)even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 (J)He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, (K)“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am (L)Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you [b]these glad (M)tidings. 20 But behold, (N)you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:9 he was chosen by lot
  2. Luke 1:19 this good news

One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.[a] 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,[b] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1:15 Or even from birth.
  2. 1:17 See Mal 4:5-6.

One day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his turn in the daily service. According to the custom followed by the priests, he was chosen by lot to burn incense on the altar. So he went into the Temple of the Lord, 10 while the crowd of people outside prayed during the hour when the incense was burned. 11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where the incense was burned. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and felt afraid. 13 But the angel said to him, “Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John. 14 How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! 15 (A)John will be great in the Lord's sight. He must not drink any wine or strong drink. From his very birth 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 (B)He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also.”

19 (C)“I am Gabriel,” the angel answered. “I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true.”

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