57. Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son.
58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59. 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.
60. And his mother answered and said, “No, but he will be named John.”
61. And they said to her, “There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name.”
62. So they made signs to his father asking what he wanted him to be named,
63. and he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they were all astonished.
64. And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak, praising God.
65. And fear came on all those who lived near them, and in all the hill country of Judea all these events were discussed.
66. 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!”
67. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited to help and has redeemed his people,
69. and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
70. just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times—
71. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us,
72. to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
73. the oath that he swore to Abraham our father, to grant us