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67 His father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people;
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
70     (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),
71     salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show mercy toward our fathers,
    to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
74     to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
    should serve him without fear,
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
77     to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the dawn from on high will visit us,
79     to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 The child was growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

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Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior[a]
    from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

76 “And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[b]
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:69 Greek has raised up a horn of salvation for us.
  2. 1:78 Or the Morning Light from Heaven is about to visit us.