11. Then there appeared to him an Angel of the Lord, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
12. And upon seeing him, Zechariah was disturbed, and fear fell over him.
13. But the Angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son to you. And you shall call his name John.
14. And there will be joy and exultation for you, and many will rejoice in his nativity.
15. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16. And he will convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
17. And he will go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, so that he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the incredulous to the prudence of the just, so as to prepare for the Lord a completed people."
18. And Zechariah said to the Angel: "How may I know this? For I am elderly, and my wife is advanced in years."