Zechariah's Prophecy

67 Then Zechariah, the child's father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has visited his people and brought them redemption.

69 He has raised up for us a horn of salvation

in the house of his servant David

70 (just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets long ago),

71 salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us—

72 to deal mercifully with our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

to grant us 74 that we, having been rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness

before him all [fn]the days of our lives.

76 And yoʋ, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for yoʋ will go before [fn]the presence of the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the remission of their sins,

78 through the tender mercy of our God,

by which the sunrise [fn]has visited us from on high,

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.