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The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

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.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

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Footnotes

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

The Prediction of John the Baptist’s Birth

It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife[a] from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. And they did not have[b] a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced in years.[c]

And it happened that while[d] he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. 10 And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was terrified when he[e] saw the angel,[f] and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him,

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard,
and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you will call his name John.
14 And you will experience joy and exultation,[g]
and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord,
and he must never drink wine or beer,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit
    while he is[h] still in his mother’s womb.
16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel
    to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go on 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 righteous,
    to prepare for the Lord a people made ready.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years!”[i] 19 And the angel answered and[j] said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because[k] you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder[l] when[m] he was delayed in the temple. 22 And when he[n] came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. 23 And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home.

24 Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with me,[o] to take away my disgrace among people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:5 Literally “a wife to him”
  2. Luke 1:7 Literally “there was not to them”
  3. Luke 1:7 Literally “in their days”
  4. Luke 1:8 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive (“was serving as priest”)
  5. Luke 1:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  6. Luke 1:12 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  7. Luke 1:14 Literally “joy and exultation will be to you”
  8. Luke 1:15 Here the phrase “while he is,” including the verb, is understood in Greek and is supplied in the translation
  9. Luke 1:18 Literally “in her days”
  10. Luke 1:19 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  11. Luke 1:20 Literally “in return for which”
  12. Luke 1:21 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to wonder”)
  13. Luke 1:21 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive (“was delayed”)
  14. Luke 1:22 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came out”) which is understood as temporal
  15. Luke 1:25 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation