20. Now, listen! You will not be able to talk until the day these things happen. You will lose your speech because you did not believe what I told you. But these things will really happen.”
21. Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple.
22. Then Zechariah came outside, but he could not speak to them. So they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Zechariah could not speak. He could only make signs to them.
23. When his time of service as a priest was finished, he went home.
24. Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant. She did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said,
25. “Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.”
26-27. During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary.
28. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.”
29. But Mary was very confused by what the angel said. Mary wondered, “What does this mean?”
30. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God is pleased with you.
31. Listen! You will become pregnant. You will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32. He will be great, and people will call him the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor.
33. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.”
34. Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen? I am a virgin!”
35. The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby will be holy. He will be called the Son of God.
36. Now listen! Elizabeth, your relative, is very old. But she is also pregnant with a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months.
37. God can do everything!”
38. Mary said, “I am the servant girl of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.
39. Mary got up and went quickly to a town in the mountains of Judea.
40. She went to Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
41. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the unborn baby inside Elizabeth jumped. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.