Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure
this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the
very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t
believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is
born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to
come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out,
he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence
that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was
over, he returned home. Soon
afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five
months. “How kind the
Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
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