The Birth of John

⁵⁷When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a boy. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord (God) was very good to her. They were happy for her. ⁵⁹When the baby was eight days old, they came to circumcise* him. They wanted to name him Zechariah because this was his father's name. ⁶⁰But his mother said, "No! He will be named John." ⁶¹The people said to Elizabeth, "But no one in your family has this name (John)!" ⁶²Then they made signs to his father, "What would you like to name him?" ⁶³Zechariah asked for something to write on. Then Zechariah wrote, "His name is John." All the people were surprised. ⁶⁴Then Zechariah could talk again. He began to praise God. ⁶⁵And all their neighbors became afraid. In all the hill country of Judea people continued talking about all these things. ⁶⁶All the people that heard about these things wondered about them. They thought, "What will this child (John) be?" They said this because the Lord (God) was with this child.

Zechariah Praises God

⁶⁷Then Zechariah, John's father, was filled with the Holy Spirit.* He told the people what would happen: ⁶⁸"Praise to the Lord God of Israel (the Jews). God has come to help his people and has given them freedom. ⁶⁹God has given us a powerful Savior from the family of God's servant, David.* ⁷⁰God said that he would do this. He said it through his holy prophets* that lived long ago. ⁷¹God will save us from our enemies and from the power of all those that hate us. ⁷²God said he would give mercy to our fathers.* And he remembered his holy promise. ⁷³God made a promise to Abraham,* our father. God promised to free us from the ⁷⁴power of our enemies, so that we could serve him without fear. ⁷⁵We will be righteous and holy before God as long as we live. ⁷⁶"Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet* of the Most High (God). You will go first before the Lord to make the people ready for the Lord's coming. ⁷⁷You will make his people know that they will be saved. They will be saved by having their sins forgiven. ⁷⁸"With the loving mercy of our God, a new Day from heaven will shine on us. ⁷⁹God will help the people that live in darkness, in the fear of death. He will lead us in the way that goes toward peace." ⁸⁰And so the little boy (John) was growing up and becoming stronger in spirit. John lived in a place away from other people, until the time when he came out [to tell God's message] to Israel (the Jews).

circumcise To cut off the foreskin. This was done to every Jewish baby boy. It was a mark of the agreement that God made with Abraham (Gen. 17:9-14). Holy Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. Joined with God and Christ, he does God's work among people in the world. David King of Israel about 1000 years before Christ. prophet(s) People that spoke for God. Some of them wrote books that are part of the Old Testament. fathers Important ancestors of the Jews, especially the leaders of the twelve Jewish family groups. Abraham The most respected ancestor of the Jews.