64. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.
65. All the neighbours were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.
66. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ‘What then is this child going to be?’ For the Lord’s hand was with him.
67. His 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.
69. He has raised up a horn of salvation for usin the house of his servant David
70. (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71. salvation from our enemiesand from the hand of all who hate us –
72. to show mercy to our ancestorsand to remember his holy covenant,
73. the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74. to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,and to enable us to serve him without fear
75. in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76. And 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,
77. to give his people the knowledge of salvationthrough the forgiveness of their sins,
78. because of the tender mercy of our God,by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79. to shine on those living in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the path of peace.’
80. And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.