Book of Common Prayer

⁶ Then the angel said to me, `These words can be trusted. They are true. The Lord God who gave his Spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.'

⁷ `Look! I will come soon!' God will bless the person who obeys the words in this book.

⁸ I, John, heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them I kneeled down to worship in front of the angel who showed them to me.

⁹ But He said to me, `You must not do that. I am only a servant like you and your brothers, the prophets, and those who obey the words of this book. Worship God.'

¹⁰ The angel said to me, `Do not keep secret the words of God's message in this book. The time is near.

¹¹ Let the bad man keep on doing wrong things. Let the person who does dirty things, keep on being dirty. Let the good person keep on doing what is good. Let the holy person keep on being holy.'

¹⁸ I am talking to everyone who hears the words of God's message in this book. If any one adds anything to this book, God will add to him the troubles that are written in this book.

¹⁹ If any one takes away any of the words of God's message, God will take away from him his share of the tree which gives life and the holy city. This book tells about them.

²⁰ He who shows these things says, `Yes, I will come soon.' Amen, Lord Jesus, come!

⁵⁷ The time had now come for Elizabeth's child to be born. She had a son.

⁵⁸ When her neighbours and family heard that the Lord had been so kind to her, they were glad, too.

⁵⁹ On the eighth day people came to circumcise [make a special mark on] the child. They were going to name him Zechariah like his father.

⁶⁰ But his mother said, `No, his name is to be John.'

⁶¹ They said to her, `But no one in your family has that name.'

⁶² They made signs to the father to find out what name he wanted the child to have.

⁶³ He asked for something to write on. He wrote, `His name is John.' They were all surprised.

⁶⁴ Right then he opened his mouth and his tongue was free. He began to speak and to praise God.

⁶⁵ Everyone who lived around there began to wonder at these things. And everywhere in the hill country of Judea, all these things were talked about.

⁶⁶ All those who heard them thought much about them. They said, `What will this child be some day?' They said this because the power of the Lord was with him.