[1:5] During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife's name was Elizabeth; she also belonged to a priestly family.
[1:6] They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the Lord's laws and commands.
[1:7] They had no children because Elizabeth could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old.
[1:8] One day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his turn in the daily service.
[1:9] 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,
[1:10] while the crowd of people outside prayed during the hour when the incense was burned.
[1:11] An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where the incense was burned.
[1:12] When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and felt afraid.
[1:13] 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.
[1:14] How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born!
[1:15] 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,
[1:16] and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
[1:17] 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.”
[1:18] Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also.”
[1:19] “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.
[1:20] 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.”
[1:21] In the meantime the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was spending such a long time in the Temple.
[1:22] When he came out, he could not speak to them, and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Unable to say a word, he made signs to them with his hands.
[1:23] When his period of service in the Temple was over, Zechariah went back home.
[1:24] Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and did not leave the house for five months.
[1:25] “Now at last the Lord has helped me,” she said. “He has taken away my public disgrace!”