3 ^(A)“Behold, I send ^(B)my messenger, and ^(C)he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord ^(D)whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and ^(E)the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ² But ^(F)who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For ^(G)he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. ³ He will sit ^(H)as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring ^(I)offerings in righteousness to the Lord.^{[a] 4 (J)}Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

^5 (A)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,^{[a] (B)}of ^(C)the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both ^(D)righteous before God, walking ^(E)blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because ^(F)Elizabeth was barren, and ^(G)both were advanced in years.

¹¹ And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of ^(A)the altar of incense. ¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and ^(B)fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for ^(C)your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and ^(D)you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will ^(E)rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be ^(F)great before the Lord. And ^(G)he must not drink wine or strong ^(H)drink, and ^(I)he will be ^(J)filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(K)even from his mother's womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and ^(L)he will go before him ^(M)in the spirit and power of Elijah, ^(N)to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and ^(O)the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, ^(P)to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”