Luke 1:57-80

The Birth of John the Baptist 57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.

58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. 59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,

60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song 67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

69He has raised up a horn Horn here symbolizes a strong king. of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—

72to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,

73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear

75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit Or in the Spirit ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.