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John the Baptist

⁵⁷ Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

‍⁵⁹ On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. ⁶⁰ But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” ⁶¹ They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” ⁶² Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵ Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶ All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

‍⁶⁷ Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
 ⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
  for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
 ⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty savior for us
  in the house of his child David,
 ⁷⁰ as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
  ⁷¹ that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
 ⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors
  and has remembered his holy covenant,
 ⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
  to grant us ⁷⁴ that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
 might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness
  in his presence all our days.
 ⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
 ⁷⁷ to give his people knowledge of salvation
  by the forgiveness of their sins.
 ⁷⁸ Because of the tender mercy of our God,
  the dawn from on high will break upon us,
 ⁷⁹ to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
  to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

‍⁸⁰ The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.