63. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.
64. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,
66. and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68. “Blessed be the Lord 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 from of old,
71. that we should be saved from our enemiesand from the hand of all who hate us;
72. to show the mercy promised to our fathersand to remember his holy covenant,
73. the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74. that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,might serve him without fear,
75. in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77. to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
78. because of the tender mercy of our God,whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80. And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.