Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, [there was] a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And {he had a wife} from the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. And {they did not have} a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced {in years}. read more.
And it happened that [while] he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was terrified [when he] saw [the angel], and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. And {you will experience joy and exultation}, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [while he is] still in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready." And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced {in years}!" And the angel answered [and] said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these [things] take place, {because} you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder [when] he was delayed in the temple. And [when he] came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home. Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion [for] five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with [me], to take away my disgrace among people."


It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, [there was] a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And {he had a wife} from the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. And {they did not have} a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced {in years}. read more.
And it happened that [while] he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was terrified [when he] saw [the angel], and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. And {you will experience joy and exultation}, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [while he is] still in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready." And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced {in years}!" And the angel answered [and] said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these [things] take place, {because} you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder [when] he was delayed in the temple. And [when he] came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home. Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion [for] five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with [me], to take away my disgrace among people." Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee {named} Nazareth, to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man {named} Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin [was] Mary. And he came to her [and] said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord [is] with you." But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob {forever}, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?" And the angel answered [and] said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth--she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For {nothing will be impossible with God}." So Mary said, "Behold, the Lord's female slave! May it happen to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Now in those days Mary set out [and] traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud shout and said, "Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of your womb! And why [is] this [granted] to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! And blessed [is] she who believed that [there] will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord!" And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced greatly in God my Savior, because he has looked upon the humble state of his female slave, for behold, from now on all generations will consider me blessed, because the Mighty [One] has done great [things] for me, and holy [is] his name. And his mercy [is] for generation after generation to those who fear him. He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has dispersed the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from [their] thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled those who are hungry with good [things], and those who are rich he has sent away empty-handed. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering [his] mercy, just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants {forever}." And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home. Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that {the Lord had shown his great mercy to her}, and they rejoiced with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him {after} his father Zechariah. And his mother answered [and] said, "No, but he will be named John."




And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And [when they] heard [it], they lifted [their] voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you [are] the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,

And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.

And it happened that when our days were over, we departed [and] went on our way, [while] all [of them] accompanied us, together with [their] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And [after] falling to our knees on the beach [and] praying,


And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And he shall take a censer full of {burning charcoal} from upon the altar from {before} Yahweh and {two handfuls} of incense of powdered fragrant perfumes, and he shall bring [it] {from behind} the curtain, and he shall put the incense on the fire {before} Yahweh so that the cloud of incense might cover the atonement cover, which [is] on the {covenant text}, so that he might not die.

And Moses and Aaron said, "Take the censer, and put fire on it from the altar. Place incense [on it], and bring it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because wrath went out from the presence of Yahweh, and a plague has begun." And so Aaron took [it] just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people; so he gave the incense and made atonement for the people.


And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.


It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, [there was] a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And {he had a wife} from the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. And {they did not have} a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced {in years}. read more.
And it happened that [while] he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was terrified [when he] saw [the angel], and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. And {you will experience joy and exultation}, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [while he is] still in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready." And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced {in years}!" And the angel answered [and] said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these [things] take place, {because} you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder [when] he was delayed in the temple. And [when he] came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home. Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion [for] five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with [me], to take away my disgrace among people." Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee {named} Nazareth, to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man {named} Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin [was] Mary. And he came to her [and] said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord [is] with you." But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob {forever}, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?" And the angel answered [and] said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth--she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For {nothing will be impossible with God}." So Mary said, "Behold, the Lord's female slave! May it happen to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Now in those days Mary set out [and] traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud shout and said, "Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of your womb! And why [is] this [granted] to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy!




And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And [when they] heard [it], they lifted [their] voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you [are] the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,

And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.

And it happened that when our days were over, we departed [and] went on our way, [while] all [of them] accompanied us, together with [their] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And [after] falling to our knees on the beach [and] praying,




And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And [when they] heard [it], they lifted [their] voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you [are] the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,

And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.

And it happened that when our days were over, we departed [and] went on our way, [while] all [of them] accompanied us, together with [their] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And [after] falling to our knees on the beach [and] praying,




And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And [when they] heard [it], they lifted [their] voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you [are] the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,

And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.

And it happened that when our days were over, we departed [and] went on our way, [while] all [of them] accompanied us, together with [their] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And [after] falling to our knees on the beach [and] praying,


And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.


I will bring them to {my holy mountain}; I will make them merry in my house of prayer. their burnt offerings and their sacrifices {will be accepted} on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,"


"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.


And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And when the people of the land come {before} Yahweh at the festivals, [the] one coming [by] way of [the] gate of [the] north to bow down must go out [by] [the] way of [the] gate of [the] south, and the [one] coming [by] way of [the] gate of [the] south must go out [by the] way of [the] gate of [the] north, [so] he must not return [by] the way of the gate [by] which he came, but before it he shall go out opposite it.

Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling place in the heavens.

"Thus says Yahweh: 'Stand in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh, and you must speak to all the cities of Judah that come to bow in worship [in] the house of Yahweh all the words that I command you to speak to them. You must not omit a word.

"Stand in the gate of the house of Yahweh and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah, [those who] enter through these gates to bow in worship to Yahweh.

Hezekiah took the letters from the hand of the messengers and read them. [Then] he went up to the temple of Yahweh, and Hezekiah spread them out before the presence of Yahweh. Then Hezekiah prayed before the face of Yahweh and said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel who lives [above] the cherubim. You [are] God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the world; you have made the heavens and the earth.

And this shall happen: on that day, a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria will come, and those who were scattered in the land of Egypt, and they will bow down to Yahweh on the {holy mountain} at Jerusalem.

And the prince shall come [by] way of the portico of the gate from [the] outside, and he shall stand at the doorframe of the gate and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings, and he shall bow down at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be closed until the evening. And the people of the land will bow down [at] the doorway of that gate on the Sabbaths and on the new moons {before} Yahweh.

And [the people of] Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, and their men, to entreat {the favor} of Yahweh, saying to the {priests of the house of Yahweh of hosts} and to the prophets, "Should I mourn in the fifth month and keep myself separate as I have done for these many years?"

And the inhabitants of one city will go to another [city], saying, "Let us go immediately to entreat {the favor of} Yahweh, to seek Yahweh of hosts--I also will go!" And many peoples and powerful nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat {the favor of} Yahweh.'

And he began to teach and was saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations,' but you have made it a cave of robbers!"

"And it happened that [when] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts, I was in a trance,


It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, [there was] a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And {he had a wife} from the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. And {they did not have} a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced {in years}. read more.
And it happened that [while] he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was terrified [when he] saw [the angel], and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. And {you will experience joy and exultation}, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [while he is] still in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready." And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced {in years}!" And the angel answered [and] said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these [things] take place, {because} you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder [when] he was delayed in the temple. And [when he] came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home.

Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that {the Lord had shown his great mercy to her}, and they rejoiced with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him {after} his father Zechariah. read more.
And his mother answered [and] said, "No, but he will be named John." And they said to her, "There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name." So they made signs to his father [asking] what he wanted him to be named, and he asked for a writing tablet [and] wrote, saying, "John is his name." And they were all astonished. And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak, praising God.


"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.




And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

And [when they] heard [it], they lifted [their] voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you [are] the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,

And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.

And it happened that when our days were over, we departed [and] went on our way, [while] all [of them] accompanied us, together with [their] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And [after] falling to our knees on the beach [and] praying,


in the time of the high priest Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

It happened that in the days of Herod, king of Judea, [there was] a certain priest, Zechariah by name, of the division of Abijah. And {he had a wife} from the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. And {they did not have} a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced {in years}. read more.
And it happened that [while] he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. And the whole crowd of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was terrified [when he] saw [the angel], and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. And {you will experience joy and exultation}, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [while he is] still in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready." And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced {in years}!" And the angel answered [and] said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these [things] take place, {because} you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and began to wonder [when] he was delayed in the temple. And [when he] came out he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them, and remained unable to speak. And it happened that when the days of his service came to an end, he went away to his home. Now after these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion [for] five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which he has concerned himself with [me], to take away my disgrace among people." Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee {named} Nazareth, to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man {named} Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin [was] Mary. And he came to her [and] said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord [is] with you." But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob {forever}, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?" And the angel answered [and] said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth--she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For {nothing will be impossible with God}." So Mary said, "Behold, the Lord's female slave! May it happen to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Now in those days Mary set out [and] traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud shout and said, "Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of your womb! And why [is] this [granted] to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! And blessed [is] she who believed that [there] will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord!" And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced greatly in God my Savior, because he has looked upon the humble state of his female slave, for behold, from now on all generations will consider me blessed, because the Mighty [One] has done great [things] for me, and holy [is] his name. And his mercy [is] for generation after generation to those who fear him. He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has dispersed the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from [their] thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled those who are hungry with good [things], and those who are rich he has sent away empty-handed. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering [his] mercy, just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants {forever}." And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home. Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that {the Lord had shown his great mercy to her}, and they rejoiced with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him {after} his father Zechariah. And his mother answered [and] said, "No, but he will be named John." And they said to her, "There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name." So they made signs to his father [asking] what he wanted him to be named, and he asked for a writing tablet [and] wrote, saying, "John is his name." And they were all astonished. And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak, praising God. And fear came on all those who lived near them, and in all the hill country of Judea all these events were discussed. And all those who heard kept [these things] in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him!" And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited to help and {has redeemed} his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times-- salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to Abraham our father, to grant us [that] we, being rescued from the hand of [our] enemies, could serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And so you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the merciful compassion of our God by which the dawn will visit to help us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace." And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.